repentance
Turning from wrongdoing
Repentance is sincere regret for wrongdoing, coupled with a commitment to change.
The word carries religious weight—in Christian theology, repentance is essential for salvation and forgiveness.
But secular use is common: His apology showed no real repentance.
Unlike mere regret, repentance implies turning away from the behavior, not just feeling bad about it.
Formal clearing of guilt
- atonementCompensation for wrongdoing
- confessionAdmission of wrongdoing
- penanceSelf-mortification for wrongdoing
- salvationDeliverance from harm
sanctification · expiation · propitiation · grace · redemption · forgiveness · sacrament · purification
Remorseful state over misdeeds
- regretSorrow over past actions
- sorrowDeep emotional distress
- shamePainful awareness of failure
- compunctionUneasiness from guilt
self-reproach · guilt · ruefulness · anguish · self-condemnation · heartache · conscience · lamentation
Improve by correcting faults
- amendmentChange to official text
- turningAct of rotating
- conversionAct of changing states
- renewalMaking current again
transformation · reformation · turnaround · about-face · new leaf · change of heart · correction · self-improvement
Probing one's innermost feelings
- humilityFreedom from arrogance
- prayerAddress to deity
- meditationFocused attention practice
- devotionDeep, loyal commitment
piety · faith · holiness · righteousness · sincerity · introspection · self-examination · surrender
absolution
Formal clearing of guilt
- atonementCompensation for wrongdoing
- confessionAdmission of wrongdoing
- penanceSelf-mortification for wrongdoing
salvation · sanctification · expiation · propitiation · grace · redemption · forgiveness · sacrament · purification · reconciliation
contrition
Remorseful state over misdeeds
compunction · self-reproach · guilt · ruefulness · anguish · self-condemnation · heartache · conscience · lamentation · pangs
reform
Improve by correcting faults
- amendmentChange to official text
- turningAct of rotating
- conversionAct of changing states
renewal · transformation · reformation · turnaround · about-face · new leaf · change of heart · correction · self-improvement · resolve
soul-searching
Probing one's innermost feelings
- humilityFreedom from arrogance
- prayerAddress to deity
- meditationFocused attention practice
devotion · piety · faith · holiness · righteousness · sincerity · introspection · self-examination · surrender · supplication
- forgivenessforgiveness of sins, redemption, absolve, mercy, grace
- reconciliationreconciliation, reconcile, reconciled, reconciling, making up
- salvationredemption, eternal life, born again, justification, saving grace
- Apology wordsapology, oops, excuse me, pardon me, my bad
- JonahJonah, whale, Nineveh, swallowed, three days
- Victorian literatureDickens, Charles Dickens, Victorian novel, Victorian literature, Victorian novels
repentanceimpenitence
Lack of contrition
remorselessness · unrepentance · hardheartedness · obduracy · shamelessness
repentanceself-satisfaction
Pleasure from one's achievements
complacency · self-complacency · smugness · pride · contentment
repentancestubbornness
Refusal to yield
obstinacy · defiance · recalcitrance · hardening · doubling down
repentant, unrepentant, unrepentantly, repentantly, repentances