penitence
Sorrow for wrongdoing
Penitence is sincere regret for wrongdoing, especially with the desire to make amends.
The word carries religious weight—penitence before God, confession and penitence—but applies to secular contrition too: His penitence seemed genuine, but she wasn't ready to forgive.
Related forms include penitent and the more formal penitential.
Admission of wrongdoing
- absolutionFormal clearing of guilt
- reconciliationRestoration of friendly relations
- penanceSelf-mortification for wrongdoing
- fastingDeliberate food avoidance
prayer · pilgrimage · shriving · shrift · Lent · sackcloth · ashes · flagellation
Remorseful state over misdeeds
- sorrowDeep emotional distress
- regretSorrow over past actions
- shamePainful awareness of failure
- self-reproachBlaming oneself for wrongdoing
compunction · guilt · pangs · remorseful · contrite · ruefulness · self-condemnation · chagrin
Self-mortification for wrongdoing
- reparationCompensation for injury done
- expiationRedress for offense
- amendsCompensation for wrongdoing
- restitutionRestoring what was lost
absolution · propitiation · satisfaction · rectification · compensation · making amends · redress · mea culpa
Deliverance from harm
- forgivenessReleasing resentment toward offenders
- graceEffortless beauty of motion
- mercyCompassion toward offenders
- pardonOfficial release from punishment
deliverance · cleansing · purification · renewal · rebirth · reform · rehabilitation · conversion
confession
Admission of wrongdoing
- absolutionFormal clearing of guilt
- reconciliationRestoration of friendly relations
- penanceSelf-mortification for wrongdoing
fasting · prayer · pilgrimage · shriving · shrift · Lent · sackcloth · ashes · flagellation · prostration
contrition
Remorseful state over misdeeds
self-reproach · compunction · guilt · pangs · remorseful · contrite · ruefulness · self-condemnation · chagrin · lamentation
penance
Self-mortification for wrongdoing
- reparationCompensation for injury done
- expiationRedress for offense
- amendsCompensation for wrongdoing
restitution · absolution · propitiation · satisfaction · rectification · compensation · making amends · redress · mea culpa · self-punishment
salvation
Deliverance from harm
- forgivenessReleasing resentment toward offenders
- graceEffortless beauty of motion
- mercyCompassion toward offenders
pardon · deliverance · cleansing · purification · renewal · rebirth · reform · rehabilitation · conversion · regeneration
- forgivenessforgiveness of sins, redemption, absolve, mercy, grace
- asceticismabstinence, celibacy, ascetic, austerities, chastity
- atonementpropitiation, substitution, reconciler, forgiveness, sin offering
- LentAsh Wednesday, fasting, abstinence, almsgiving, forty days
- moral allegoryseven deadly sins, deadly sins, morality play, cardinal virtues, theological virtues
- moral emotionsguilt, shame, remorse, moral guilt, conscience
penitenceimpenitence
Lack of contrition
remorselessness · unrepentance · shamelessness · obduracy · hardheartedness
penitencedefiance
Open resistance to authority
pride · brazenness · audacity · smugness · self-satisfaction
penitenceself-congratulation
Admiring one's own accomplishments
pride · smugness · self-satisfaction · joy · elation
- state penitentiaryGovernment-run facility for serious offenders
- penitential psalmsSacred songs expressing remorse
penitent, penitentiary, impenitent, penitential, penitents, penitently, penitences