penance

1 of 2

noun

pen·​ance ˈpe-nən(t)s 

1

: an act of self-abasement, mortification (see mortification sense 3), or devotion performed to show sorrow or repentance for sin

He did charitable work as a penance.

2

: a sacramental rite that is practiced in Roman, Eastern, and some Anglican churches and that consists of private confession, absolution, and a penance directed by the confessor (see confessor sense 3a)

3

: something (such as a hardship or penalty) resembling an act of penance (as in compensating for an offense)

who go on cheap camping trips instead of real vacations as a kind of penance

—Judith Thurman

penance

2 of 2

verb

penanced; penancing

transitive verb

: to impose penance on

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How Should You Use penance?

Penance as a form of apology for a mistake can be either voluntary or ordered by someone else. Many religions include penance among the ways in which believers can show repentance or regret for a misdeed. The Christian season of Lent, 40 days long, is traditionally a time for doing penance.

Examples of penance in a Sentence

Noun

He did charitable work as a penance.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And in the old Catholic tradition, every Friday was a day of penance. —Kaity Kline, NPR, 13 Sep. 2024

Abigail wanted to bring upon the Cleanse as final penance for creating Marigold and Durango and wipe it all from existence forever. —Lucy Ford, TIME, 8 Aug. 2024

The reality on our plates is more like penance: The pink tuna tartare is a snooze of an appetizer, while salmon rillettes, served with a ball of herbed butter in a little glass jar, is so dense I’m tempted to ask for a drill because my spreader isn’t cutting it. —Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 11 July 2024

Yet still, and even more since inflation, the penance paid to incarcerated people in states where wages are paid at all is barely enough to meet their needs during their incarceration, much less to pay their child support or rebuild their lives after release. —Phillip Vance Smith, JSTOR Daily, 1 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin poenitentia penitence

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1580, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

penance

noun

pen·​ance

ˈpen-ən(t)s

1

: an act showing sorrow or regret for sin

2

: a sacrament consisting of regret for sin, confession to a priest, an act showing sorrow or regret ordered by the confessor, and forgiveness