penitential
Americanadjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of penitential
1500–10; < Medieval Latin pēnitēntiālis, Late Latin paenitēntiālis. See penitent, -ial
Explanation
If someone is penitential, they're remorseful about something they did. Being truly penitential for losing your brother's phone means buying him a new one — not just saying, "Oh, sorry!" The adjective penitential is less common than its synonym, penitent, but you can use it whenever you're truly contrite. The penitential letter you write your neighbor after your baseball shatters his kitchen window will probably make you both feel better. This word is often used in a religious context, describing people repenting their sins. The Latin root, pænitere, means "cause or feel regret."
Vocabulary lists containing penitential
Vocabulary from Readings 1, Unit 7
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Purgatory
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A Brief History of Life in Victorian Britain
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Weeks later, during the penitential Yom Kippur prayers in a small Berlin synagogue, Rosenzweig reversed his decision.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
It also marks the beginning of the penitential Lenten season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2024
In the eyes of the German public, Stadler's guilty plea did not look particularly penitential.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2023
The trip to Canada has much less pomp: “A penitential pilgrimage,” Francis recently called it.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 23, 2022
Many a penitential psalm and hymn of praise exists to testify to the piety of the ancient nations of Assyria and Babylonia.
From The Old Testament In the Light of The Historical Records and Legends of Assyria and Babylonia by Theophilus Goldridge Pinches
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
