repent
gb/ɹɪpˈɛnt/ us/ɹɪpˈɛnt/
C1
Αγγλικά
~ 6200
Σημασίες
0 σημασίες
Ρήμα
formal
C1
action
1
feel deep remorse and change
To feel very sorry for doing something bad and to decide to stop doing it and live in a better way.
Μοτίβο χρήσης:
[someone] repents (of) [something]
Συχνό λάθος:
Learners often use “repent” when simple “be sorry” or “regret” is more natural in everyday conversation. In modern English, “repent” is mostly used in religious or serious moral contexts ("repent of your sins"), not for small mistakes (you usually say “I’m sorry” or “I regret it,” not “I repent it”). Another mistake is using the wrong preposition, such as *repent for*; the common pattern is “repent of [something]” or just “repent” without a preposition.
Συνώνυμα
regret (A more general word for feeling sorry about something; does not always include the strong moral or religious idea of changing your life that “repent” has.)
|
be penitent (Very close in meaning and also formal/religious, but often describes a state or attitude rather than the active turning away from sin.)
Αντώνυμα
be unrepentant (Describes someone who does wrong but does not feel sorry and does not want to change.)
|
justify oneself (To defend one’s actions as right instead of feeling sorry and changing them.)
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
repent of your sins
|truly repent
|repent before God
|repent and turn
|call to repent
|refuse to repent
Θέματα
religion
|emotions
|ethics
|core_vocabulary
Παραδείγματα
- After years of hurting people, he finally repented of his selfish behavior.
- She knelt in prayer, asking God to forgive her as she sincerely repented of her lies.
- The preacher urged the crowd to repent of their sins and start a new life.
- If you truly repent, you must also try to repair the harm you have done.
- They believed that anyone could be forgiven if they repented and turned back to God.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- He repented of his crime and wanted to live a better life.
- She went to church to repent of what she had done.
- The man said he would repent and not steal again.
- They told him to repent of his bad actions.
- If you repent, you try not to do the bad thing again.
Ρήμα
formal
C2
action
2
strongly regret a past action
To later feel very sorry about something you did or chose.
Μοτίβο χρήσης:
[someone] (will) repent [something]
Συχνό λάθος:
Learners sometimes use this formal sense of “repent” in casual speech where “regret” is more natural (e.g. saying *I repent my test score* instead of *I regret my test score*). Also, “repent” is less common with everyday objects; speakers more often say they repent decisions, actions, or behavior, not neutral events like *the rain* or *the traffic*.
Συνώνυμα
rue (Formal and literary; focuses on the painful feeling of regret, similar in strength to this sense of “repent” but without a religious tone.)
|
deeply regret (Everyday phrase that expresses strong regret; does not sound as formal or old-fashioned as “repent.”)
Αντώνυμα
be glad of (To feel pleased or happy about a decision, which is the opposite of later regretting it.)
|
have no regrets (To feel no sorrow about past actions, contrasting with strongly regretting them.)
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
live to repent
|bitterly repent
|repent a decision
|repent it later
|repent the day
|come to repent
Θέματα
emotions
|life
|ethics
|core_vocabulary
Παραδείγματα
- He invested all his savings in the scheme and would soon live to repent that choice.
- You may think this is funny now, but one day you will repent your behavior.
- She never repented the risks she took to start her own company.
- He came to repent the harsh words he spoke in anger.
- They repented their decision to move only after the housing market collapsed.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- He will repent this decision when he sees the result.
- One day you will repent what you did today.
- She later repented her hard words to her friend.
- They repented their choice to sell the house so quickly.
- He did not repent his brave action, even when it cost him his job.
Ρήμα
archaic
C2
action
3
(archaic) cause someone to regret
(Old use) To make someone feel sorry; in old writing, “it repents me” means “I am sorry.”
Μοτίβο χρήσης:
it repents [someone] (that) [clause]
Συχνό λάθος:
Because this use is archaic, learners sometimes misread “it repents me” as if “it” is feeling sorry; in fact, the phrase means “I regret it,” and is not used in modern everyday English.
Συνώνυμα
sadden (In this old pattern, “it repents me” is close to “it saddens me,” though “repent” stresses regret rather than simple sadness.)
|
cause to regret (Paraphrases the causative meaning, but is not idiomatic in modern English in the same structure.)
Αντώνυμα
gladden (To make someone feel pleased or happy, which contrasts with causing them sorrow or regret.)
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
it repents me
|much repents me
|it repents us that
Θέματα
literature
|emotions
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Παραδείγματα
- “It much repents me that I spoke so rashly,” he wrote in the old letter.
- In the archaic phrase “it repents me,” the verb means that something makes a person feel regret.
- “It repents us that we could not aid you,” the messenger declared in the ancient play.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- In old books you may read, “It repents me that I did this,” which means, “I am sorry that I did this.”
- The phrase “it repents me” is archaic and not used in modern speech.
- In Shakespeare, a character might say, “It repents me of my words,” meaning he regrets his words.
Γραμματική
Λημματική μορφή
repent
IPA
GB/ɹɪpˈɛnt/
US/ɹɪpˈɛnt/
Συλλαβές και τόνος
re - pent (2 συλλαβές)
Stress on 2nd syllable (pent)
Τύποι λέξης
Verb
- Base: repent
- 3rd Person Singular: repents
- Present Participle: repenting
- Past: repented
Οικογένεια λέξεων
Forms
repents
verb
repenting
verb
repented
verb
Core family
repentance
noun B2
repentant
adjective
Related words
repentantly
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
unrepentant
adjective
unrepentantly
adverb
Εκφράσεις
live to repent
1/lˈɪv tə ɹɪpˈɛnt/
idiom
formal
later come to regret something
To feel regret in the future for something you are doing now, usually after many years.
Παραδείγματα
- If you treat your parents badly now, you may live to repent it.
- He ignored all advice and would live to repent that choice.
- She warned him that he would live to repent his carelessness.
repent at leisure
1/ɹɪpˈɛnt ˈæt lˈiʒɚ/
idiom
literary
long regret for a hasty act
To feel sorry for a quick decision for a long time afterward; often used in the saying “Marry in haste, repent at leisure.”
Παραδείγματα
- He signed the contract without reading it and would repent at leisure.
- “Marry in haste, repent at leisure” warns that quick choices in love can bring long-lasting regret.
repent of
1/ɹɪpˈɛnt əv/
phrasal verb
formal
feel regret about something
To feel very sorry about a particular thing you did or a way you lived before.
Παραδείγματα
- He publicly repented of his past crimes and asked for forgiveness.
- Many people only repent of their selfish actions when it is too late.
- She later repented of the harsh judgment she had made.