sackcloth

American  

[sak-klawth, -kloth] / ˈsækˌklɔθ, -ˌklɒθ /

noun

1. sacking.

2. coarse cloth worn as a sign of mourning or penitence.

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idioms

1. in sackcloth and ashes, in a state of repentance or sorrow; contrite.

   She would be in sackcloth and ashes for days over every trifling error she made.

sackcloth British  

/ ˈsækˌklɒθ /

noun

1. coarse cloth such as sacking

2. garments made of such cloth, worn formerly to indicate mourning or penitence

3. a public display of extreme grief, remorse, or repentance

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Other Word Forms

• sackclothed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of sackcloth

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at sack ¹, cloth

Example Sentences

One common answer notes that sackcloth and ashes have been since biblical times a sign of repentance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

Catholic saints practiced self-mortification, such as wearing itchy sackcloth, to encourage humility and to create greater compassion for the suffering of others.

From Salon • Jan. 9, 2023

It would be safe to amble down dark alleys or across parks, whether sporting a diamond-encrusted miniskirt and platinum noise-cancelling headphones or a sackcloth boiler suit and an air of high alert.

From BBC • Sep. 24, 2021

Young men in dark suits danced in front, carrying a metal pole with a heart-shaped standard that had been wrapped in sackcloth, doused in kerosene and set alight.

From New York Times • May 11, 2020

“Why’d you have to raise this up from the dead, anyhow? You go’n put the past on and wear it like sackcloth and ashes the rest a-yore days?”

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns