penitent

American  

[pen-i-tuhnt] / ˈpɛn ɪ tənt /

adjective

1. feeling or expressing sorrow for sin or wrongdoing and disposed to atonement and amendment; repentant; contrite.

   Synonyms:

   sorrowful, rueful, remorseful

   Antonyms:

   impenitent, unrepentant

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noun

penitents plural

1. a penitent person.

2. Roman Catholic Church. a person who confesses sin and submits to a penance.

penitent British  

/ ˈpɛnɪtənt /

adjective

1. feeling regret for one's sins; repentant

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noun

1. a person who is penitent

2. Christianity

   1. a person who repents his sins and seeks forgiveness for them

   2. RC Church a person who confesses his sins to a priest and submits to a penance imposed by him

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• penitence
  noun
• nonpenitent
  adjective
• unpenitent
  adjective
• penitently
  adverb
• unpenitently
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• penitents
  plural

Etymology

Origin of penitent

1325–75; Middle English < Medieval Latin pēnitent-, Latin paenitent- (stem of paenitēns ), present participle of paenitēre to regret; replacing Middle English penaunt < Anglo-French; see penance

Explanation

Penitent means deeply sorry, ashamed, and full of remorse. If you feel sorry––or just want to appear to––you should adopt a penitent manner. Penitent comes from the Latin word paenitere, which means to repent. It can be either noun or adjective. Though it's not restricted to them, penitent often pops up in religious contexts, particularly as a noun, as in, "The penitent threw herself at the bishop's feet and begged forgiveness for her sins."

Example Sentences

The penitent Magdalene was a popular subject in Artemisia’s day, and several versions of the painting exist.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

He’s genuflecting and appears penitent, it’s him with no public or private, shipwrecked in place in a way.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2024

So then—can an inanimate tool such as this typewriter be penitent, reformed, and redeemed from the original sin of its creation?

From Slate • Mar. 16, 2024

The early brawler, the reformed sage, the repeat offender, the penitent observer of silence, the strategist, the troublemaker, the king of the kids, the petulant self-justifier, the granular cricket analyst, the late-career paragon.

From BBC • Nov. 14, 2023

When the penance had reached the appropriate level for a particular sin, the penitent was granted absolution in advance, though he might never be called on to commit the sin.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman