penitent

[ pen-i-tuhnt ]

adjective

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

   Synonyms: sorrowful, rueful, remorseful

   Antonyms: unrepentant, impenitent

noun

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

penitent

/ ˈpɛnɪtənt /

adjective

1. feeling regret for one's sins; repentant

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

Derived Forms

• ˈpenitently, adverb
• ˈpenitence, noun

Other Words From

• peni·tent·ly adverb
• non·peni·tent adjective noun
• un·peni·tent adjective
• un·peni·tent·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of penitent¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of penitent¹

C14: from Church Latin paenitēns regretting, from paenitēre to repent, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

Messages also came from “los arrepentidos,” the penitents—people who said they’d been involved in the burials and were moved to confess.

From MIT Technology Review

The administrator’s caravan charted a penitent itinerary along the Gulf Coast, calling on communities of color that the EPA has historically failed to protect.

From ProPublica

In one scene, a penitent missus in a shapeless tube dress scratches her head and admits to having crashed the car.

From The Daily Beast

Still, that might not do it: not every believer, or even all members of the penitent, will be taken.

From The Daily Beast

He would later say about his subway pictures that they were made in the “hands of a penitent spy and an apologetic voyeur.”

From The Daily Beast

His admonition last week to the Irish church repeatedly emphasised that heaven still awaits the penitent pedophile priest.

From The Daily Beast

I was glad to learn that Mary Magdalene's penitent side was not the main attraction here.

From The Daily Beast

They are unquestionably penitent now; but then, you know, they have the recollection of very recent suffering fresh upon them.

From Project Gutenberg

Note that the penitent is here supposed to address his own parish-priest.

From Project Gutenberg

In this capacity, he assisted at the public confession of his penitent, Mme. Graslin, in the summer of 1844.

From Project Gutenberg

It was also, probably, designed as a protest against the rigour of the Novatians in refusing reconciliation to penitent apostates.

From Project Gutenberg

Discussions of the relative merits of The Fair Penitent and its source have been almost invariably acrimonious.

From Project Gutenberg