penitent
gb/pˈɛnɪtɪnt/ us/pˈɛnɪtɪnt/
C1
Anglais
~ 10000
Sens
0 sens
adjective
formal
C1
state
1
feeling or showing deep regret
Feeling very sorry for something bad you did and wanting to change.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] is penitent (about/for [something])
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'penitent' with 'penal' or 'penalty' because they all relate to punishment. However, 'penitent' describes a feeling of regret inside a person, not an external punishment. Another mistake is to use it for small, casual apologies (e.g., dropping a spoon); in modern English, 'penitent' usually suggests serious moral or emotional regret, not minor accidents.
Synonymes
remorseful (Stresses painful guilt and regret; slightly more common in everyday use.)
|
repentant (Very close in meaning; often used in religious or moral contexts like 'repentant sinner'.)
|
contrite (More literary/formal; suggests deep, often humble sorrow.)
|
sorry (Much more common and general; can be weaker and used for small problems or apologies.)
Antonymes
unrepentant (Describes someone who does not feel sorry or guilty and does not want to change.)
|
defiant (Shows open resistance instead of regret; emotionally opposite attitude to being penitent.)
Collocations
penitent look
|penitent expression
|penitent smile
|truly penitent
|seem penitent
|sound penitent
Thèmes
emotions
|morality
|religion
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- He appeared genuinely penitent as he apologized to the victims.
- The judge showed some mercy because the defendant was clearly penitent.
- She wrote a long, penitent letter asking for her friend's forgiveness.
- His penitent tone suggested he finally understood how much he had hurt them.
- Not all of the officials seemed penitent for their role in the scandal.
Exemples pédagogiques
- He is truly penitent for his mistake.
- She looked penitent and said she was sorry.
- The boy was penitent after breaking the window.
- The manager sounded penitent on the phone.
- They are penitent and want to change their behavior.
Nom
formal
C2
entity
2
person who is deeply sorry
A person who feels very sorry for bad things they did and often asks for forgiveness, especially in a religious way.
Schéma d’usage :
a/the penitent [verb]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may think 'a penitent' is any person who was punished, but it actually describes someone who feels sorry, not the punishment itself. It is also easy to confuse the noun and adjective forms; 'a penitent' is a person, while 'penitent' before a noun (e.g., 'a penitent man') is an adjective describing that person.
Synonymes
repentant person (Direct descriptive phrase; more transparent for learners but less common as a fixed noun.)
|
sinner (Focuses on the fact that the person did wrong, not necessarily that they now feel sorry.)
Antonymes
unrepentant sinner (Emphasizes someone who has done wrong but does not feel sorry or seek forgiveness.)
Collocations
the penitent knelt
|absolve the penitent
|penitent at the altar
|listen to the penitent
|line of penitents
Thèmes
religion
|morality
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The priest spent hours listening to each penitent in the confessional.
- As the penitent left the church, she said she finally felt at peace.
- The chapel was quiet except for the soft voices of penitents seeking forgiveness.
- The minister encouraged the penitent to make amends to those he had harmed.
- Long lines of penitents waited outside the cathedral on Good Friday.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The penitent knelt in front of the priest.
- Each penitent told the priest about their sins.
- The church was full of penitents on that day.
- The priest spoke gently to the penitent.
- The penitent asked God for forgiveness.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
penitent
API
GB/pˈɛnɪtɪnt/
US/pˈɛnɪtɪnt/
Syllabes et accentuation
pen - it - ent (3 syllabes)
Stress on 1st syllable (pen)
Formes du mot
Adjective
- Base: penitent
Noun
- Base: penitent
- Plural: penitents
Famille de mots
Forms
penitents
noun
Core family
penitence
noun
penitently
adverb
Related words
penance
noun B2
Negative and opposite forms
impenitent
adjective
impenitence
noun
Advanced or less common
penitential
adjective
Expressions
Aucune expression n’est encore associée à cette entrée.