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

---

noun

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

---

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

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

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; penance

Example Sentences

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

In addition, while it is not absolutely forbidden, priests are strongly discouraged from directly asking whether a penitent has committed this or that particular sin.

From Washington Times • Jun. 21, 2023

In more recent years, Alfred Molina’s melancholic, David Suchet’s soulful innocent and John Malkovich’s penitent exile sought to dignify him.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2022

“I don’t know what came over me,” I blurted, penitent.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya