(Roman Catholic Church) a person who repents for wrongdoing (a Roman Catholic may be admitted to penance under the direction of a confessor)
Used in a Sentence
penitent
How to use penitent in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for penitent.
Editorial note
In saying, "I'm sorry for your loss," the context makes it clear that the speaker is not penitent, but sympathetic.
Examples12
Definitions2
Parts of speech2
Quick take
(Roman Catholic Church) a person who repents for wrongdoing (a Roman Catholic may be admitted to penance under the direction of a confessor)
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of penitent gathered in one view.
feeling or expressing remorse for misdeeds
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for penitent.
noun
(Roman Catholic Church) a person who repents for wrongdoing (a Roman Catholic may be admitted to penance under the direction of a confessor)
adjective
feeling or expressing remorse for misdeeds
See also: repentant
Example sentences
In saying, "I'm sorry for your loss," the context makes it clear that the speaker is not penitent, but sympathetic.
On a proper submission, the penitent is recalled, and welcomed by the mess, as just returned from a journey to Coventry.
What's sort of peculiar is - as far as I've seen/read - he's never been penitent about his past unethical behavior.
Others are correct in their suffering and are expected to remain penitent, and ostracize themselves for the greater good.
Should everyone who associated with Epstein before his true nature was revealed quit their jobs and live out the rest of their lives as penitent ascetics?
There is a reason that safeguards like attorney-client, priest-penitent, and spousal privilege exist.
But in a larger sense, the slaves are "heroic" and "emotionally nuanced" only in the sense that HBS makes them fulfill a racial type: sympathetic, penitent, long-suffering Christians.
The sacramental seal is inviolable; therefore it is absolutely forbidden for a confessor to betray in any way a penitent in words or in any manner and for any reason.
The soldier is applauded who refuses to serve in an unjust war by those who do not refuse to sustain the unjust government which makes the war; is applauded by those whose own act and authority he disregards and sets at naught; as if the state were penitent to that degree that it differed one to scourge it while it sinned, but not to that degree that it left off sinning for a moment.
"Any nation which by means of protective duties and restrictions on navigation has raised her manufacturing power and her navigation to such a degree of development that no other nation can sustain free competition with her, can do nothing wiser than to throw away these ladders of her greatness, to preach to other nations the benefits of free trade, and to declare in penitent tones that she has hitherto wandered in the paths of error, and has now for the first time succeeded in discovering the truth.”--Friedrich List
Proper noun examples
Penitentiary means a place to become penitent, which means to repent for your sins.
The Penitentiary Act introduced solitary confinement, religious instruction, a labor regime, proposed two state penitentiaries, and abandoned gaolers' fees.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use penitent in a sentence?
In saying, "I'm sorry for your loss," the context makes it clear that the speaker is not penitent, but sympathetic.
What does penitent mean?
(Roman Catholic Church) a person who repents for wrongdoing (a Roman Catholic may be admitted to penance under the direction of a confessor)
What part of speech is penitent?
penitent is commonly used as noun, adjective.