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penitent

penitent

5 8.5
A person who feels sorry for doing wrong and asks for forgiveness
  • noun
  • /ˈpɛnɪtənt/
translation icon : penitente
  • The church welcomed the penitent who sought forgiveness for his past mistakes.
  • penitent and confessor
  • penitent confesses his sins
  • penitent confesses

Examples

Synonyms

penitente
vspenitent
  • US
9.9

A person who shows sorrow for sins by doing public religious acts such as carrying a cross

is more about feeling remorse and seeking forgiveness rather than ritual acts
atoner
vspenitent
8.7

A person who tries to make up for wrongs by helping others or saying sorry

focuses on inner remorse and seeking forgiveness rather than reparative acts

Antonyms

18 7.5

Not feeling sorry for something and not wanting to change

Compounds

A right that lets a priest or minister keep confessions secret

How Apologetic

penitent
5 8.5
apologizer
  • US
1 3.5
unapologetic
16 6.4

Surface Forms

penitent singular
penitents plural

Etymology

Penitent comes from an old Latin word paenitere meaning 'to feel sorry' or 'to repent'. You can see the same root in the word penance, which is something done to show you are sorry, so a penitent is a person who feels remorse and asks for forgiveness.