noun
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coarse cloth such as sacking
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garments made of such cloth, worn formerly to indicate mourning or penitence
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a public display of extreme grief, remorse, or repentance
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sackcloth
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at sack 1, cloth
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.
I mention the obvious class privilege behind that moment not to cover myself in sackcloth and ashes, but on the way to a different observation.
From Salon ● May 31, 2026
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
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
It wore a crude straw hat and a pair of sackcloth pants.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
