Penitent
Feeling remorseful for one’s wrongdoings and showing a desire to make amends; repentant.
adjectivePenitent
Feeling remorseful for one’s wrongdoings and showing a desire to make amends; repentant.
adjectiveImagine This
Imagine a person who has just hurt someone stepping into a quiet chapel, head bowed, hands clasped, quietly asking for forgiveness and promising to change.
Sounds Like
PEN-i-tent
Looks Like
Resembles related forms like penitence and penitential; shares the same root about remorse.
Remember This
Penitent is tied to the noun penance and the adjective penitential; all derive from Latin paenitēre 'to regret'.
Other Forms
Connect With
repentance, remorse, contrition, apology, atonement
Note
Penitent describes a state or feeling (remorse). As a noun, 'a penitent' refers to a person who repents. Distinguish from 'repentant' in some contexts; they are closely related but not always interchangeable.