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Glite Dictionary
sackcloth and ashes

sackcloth and ashes

1 9.9
A strong, public show of deep sorrow and regret for doing something wrong
  • idiom
  • Literature
translation icon : saco y ceniza
  • The community came together, all dressed in sackcloth and ashes, to mourn the tragedy they had faced.
  • wear sackcloth and ashes

Examples

  • "Walk around in sackcloth and ashes probably.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • I think maybe some should be wearing sackcloth and ashes.

    Blog text (21)

  • Is it necessary for me to rend my sackcloth and ashes as I abjure and detest my errors all along the rocky pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela?

    Blog text (14)

  • After making a serious mistake, he felt he should be in sackcloth and ashes to show his remorse.

  • She expressed her sorrow over the loss in sackcloth and ashes, reflecting her deep sense of repentance.

Synonyms

contrition
vssackcloth and ashes
  • Formal
19 8.4

A deep feeling of regret and sorrow for something you did wrong

is an outward display of remorse used as a sign of penance
sackcloth
vssackcloth and ashes
  • Archaic
5 9.9

A rough cloth worn to show sorrow or regret

is a figurative expression of deep sorrow and repentance not the literal garment

Antonyms

joy
793 1.0

A strong feeling of great happiness

celebration
430 1.0

A happy event such as a party that marks a special occasion or achievement

Surface Forms

sackcloth and ashes singular
sackcloths and ashes plural

Morphology

sackcloth + and + ash

Both constituents carry mourning/penitential meaning—'sackcloth' is explicitly a garment for mourning or penance and 'ashes' evoke ritual humility/repentance—so their combination straightforwardly signals a display of deep sorrow or remorse. Because the figurative meaning can be directly inferred from these constituent meanings and common ritual imagery, a B1 learner who knows the words should be able to understand the expression.

Etymology

Sackcloth and ashes comes from old religious practice where people wore rough sackcloth and sat in ashes to show great sorrow or to ask for forgiveness. That's why today it means 'deep sorrow' or 'remorse'.