penance
gb/pˈɛnəns/ us/pˈɛnəns/
B2
English
~ 8400
vezeklés, penitencia, bűnbánat szentsége, gyónás, büntetés, penitenciát szab ki, vezeklésre kötelez
NOUN
B2
1
vezeklés
C1
penitencia
C1
Usage pattern:
to do penance for [something]
He volunteered at the shelter every weekend as penance for his past mistakes.
Korábbi hibáiért vezeklésül minden hétvégén önkénteskedett a menhelyen.
She gave up alcohol for a year as a form of penance after the accident.
A baleset után egy évre lemondott az alkoholról egyfajta vezeklésként.
The politician’s public apology was seen as insufficient penance for his actions.
They walked the pilgrimage route barefoot in penance for their sins.
He felt he had to live a simple life as penance for the harm his company had caused.
Learner examples
He cleaned the whole house as penance for being rude to his mother.
Azért, mert goromba volt az anyjával, vezeklésül kitakarította az egész házat.
She stopped watching TV for a month as penance for failing her exam.
Vezeklésként amiatt, hogy megbukott a vizsgáján, egy hónapig nem nézett tévét.
The player did charity work as penance for his bad behavior on the field.
He saw his extra work on the weekend as penance for coming in late.
They went to the temple to offer flowers as penance for their lie.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"make a penance"* or *"pay a penance"*. The usual phrase in modern English is *"do penance"* or *"perform penance"*. Learners may also confuse *penance* with *penalty*; *penalty* is a punishment given by a rule or law, while *penance* is usually something you accept or choose to show you are sorry.
Meaning
self-punishing act for wrongdoing
Collocations
do penance
|penance for [one’s] sins
|impose penance
|accept penance
|as penance for [something]
Synonyms
atonement (More formal and abstract; often refers to the overall process of making up for wrongs, not just a specific act.)
|
self-punishment (Focuses directly on punishing oneself, without the religious or moral nuance that penance can carry.)
Antonyms
reward (A pleasant thing given or received for some reason, opposite in nature to a hard or painful act of penance.)
Themes
religion
|emotions
|ethics
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A hard or unpleasant thing that someone chooses to do to show they are sorry for doing something wrong.
An act of self-punishment or something difficult that a person willingly accepts in order to show they are sorry for what they have done or to make up for it.
NOUN
C1
2
gyónás
B2
Usage pattern:
the Sacrament of Penance
In the Catholic Church, Penance is one of the seven sacraments.
A Katolikus Egyházban a bűnbánat szentsége a hét szentség egyike.
After many years away, he finally returned to receive the Sacrament of Penance.
Miután sok évig távol volt az egyháztól, végül visszatért, hogy részesüljön a bűnbánat szentségében.
The priest explained how Penance helps believers repair their relationship with God.
She goes to Penance regularly during Lent.
The bishop encouraged the faithful to approach Penance with sincere hearts.
Learner examples
He went to Penance to tell the priest about his sins.
Gyónásra ment, hogy elmondja a papnak a bűneit.
Penance is an important sacrament for many Catholics.
A bűnbánat szentsége sok katolikus számára fontos.
After Penance, she felt clean and peaceful.
The priest gave him Penance and a blessing.
Some people go to Penance before major holidays.
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize that in Catholic English, *Penance* (often with a capital letter) can be the formal name of a sacrament, not just a general word for self-punishment. They may also confuse *Penance* with simply *prayer*; while prayer is part of it, the sacrament includes confession, absolution, and a specific act of penance.
Meaning
Christian sacrament of confession
Collocations
the Sacrament of Penance
|confession and penance
|receive penance
|go to Penance
|administer Penance
Synonyms
confession (Common everyday term used by many Catholics for the same sacrament; slightly less formal and doctrinal than saying Penance.)
Antonyms
excommunication (Being formally removed from participation in the Church, which contrasts with Penance, a sacrament meant to restore a person’s relationship with God and the Church.)
Themes
religion
Definition
In some Christian churches, a religious act where a person tells a priest their sins, is forgiven, and is told to do a special act to show they are sorry.
In certain Christian traditions, especially the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches, the sacrament in which a person confesses their sins to a priest, is forgiven, and is given an act of penance.
NOUN
B2
3
Usage pattern:
[something] is penance for [something]
Spending the weekend with his in‑laws was his penance for forgetting their anniversary.
A hétvége az anyósáéknál volt a büntetése azért, mert elfelejtette az évfordulójukat.
Mark joked that answering all those emails was penance for taking a long vacation.
Mark azzal viccelődött, hogy a rengeteg e-mail megválaszolása a büntetése a hosszú szabadságért.
Writing the long report felt like penance for missing last week’s meeting.
She saw the early morning flights as penance for choosing a cheaper airline.
Sitting through the three‑hour lecture was my penance for signing up late.
Learner examples
He said the extra work was his penance for coming late every day.
Azt mondta, a pluszmunka a büntetése azért, amiért mindennap elkésett.
Doing the dishes all week was her penance for breaking the plate.
Az egész heti mosogatás volt a büntetése azért, mert eltörte a tányért.
The long meeting was our penance for not planning well.
He called the boring class his penance for choosing that subject.
She said the noisy room was her penance for paying less money.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think *penance* is only serious and religious. In modern speech, it is often used humorously for any unpleasant duty after a mistake, even a small one. They may also confuse it with *penalty*; *penalty* is more formal and legal or in sports, while *penance* often suggests a personal or emotional sense of paying for something.
Meaning
unpleasant duty as consequence
Collocations
my penance for [something]
|serve my penance
|endless penance
|penance for staying out late
|penance for my mistakes
Synonyms
price (As in *"the price you pay"*; focuses more on cost or consequence, without the explicit idea of regret or self-punishment that penance suggests.)
Antonyms
perk (A pleasant extra advantage that comes from a situation, the opposite of an unpleasant duty or consequence.)
Themes
daily_life
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A bad or boring thing you must do because of something you did before, often said in a light or joking way.
An unpleasant or boring thing that someone has to do as a result of something they did earlier, often said in a half-joking or exaggerated way and not always involving moral guilt.
VERB
C2
ARCHAIC
4
Usage pattern:
to penance [someone] for [something]
He was penanced by his order for breaking his vows.
Szerzetesrendje penitenciát szabott ki rá, mert megszegte fogadalmait.
The monks penanced the offender with a week of fasting and silence.
A szerzetesek egy hét böjtöt és hallgatást szabtak ki penitenciaként a vétkesre.
In the old tales, the knight was penanced for his pride with years of wandering.
Learner examples
The old book says the man was penanced for his crime.
A régi könyv szerint penitenciát szabtak ki a férfira a bűnéért.
In the story, the king penanced the soldier with hard work.
A történetben a király vezeklésül nehéz munkára kötelezte a katonát.
The priest penanced him with many days of prayer.
She was penanced in the legend for telling lies.
The monk penanced the thief in the ancient story.
Common mistake:
Modern English speakers almost never use *penance* as a verb. Learners should avoid *"to penance someone"* in normal speech and use *"to punish"* instead.
Meaning
impose penance on someone
Collocations
heavily penanced
|penanced by the Church
|penanced for his sins
Synonyms
punish (General and common verb for causing someone to suffer for wrongdoing; *penance* as a verb is more specific and religious, and is now rare.)
Antonyms
forgive (Means to stop being angry and not punish someone, which contrasts with imposing penance on them.)
Themes
religion
|law
Definition
To give someone a special hard task to do as a punishment for doing wrong, usually in a religious setting. (Very old use.)
To punish someone, especially in a religious context, by requiring them to perform a specific act of penance.
Grammar
Dictionary form
penance
IPA
GB/pˈɛnəns/
US/pˈɛnəns/
Syllables & stress
pen - ance (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (pen)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: penance
- Plural: penance
Word family
Core family
penitence
noun
penitent
adjective C1
Negative and opposite forms
impenitent
adjective
Advanced or less common
penitential
adjective
penitentiary
noun
Expressions
as penance
1/ˈæz pˈɛnəns/
fixed phrase
as a self-punishing act
Used to say that a hard or unpleasant thing is being done to show that someone is sorry.
Examples
- She ran a marathon as penance for years of unhealthy living.
- He agreed to work night shifts as penance for his earlier mistakes.
- They spent their holiday cleaning the beach as penance for their careless behavior.
do penance
1/dˈu pˈɛnəns/
fixed phrase
perform an act of penance
To do something hard or unpleasant to show that you are sorry for what you did.
Examples
- After lying to his parents, he decided to do penance by helping around the house for a month.
- The singer did penance in the public eye by donating all the profits from her tour to charity.
- He spent years doing penance for the damage his company had caused.