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

Did you know?

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

That’s a minor inconvenience to deal with as penance for acquiring Doncic, who has made five All-NBA teams before turning 26. —Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2025

The king later did public penance for this at Becket’s tomb in Canterbury. —Joanne M. Pierce, The Conversation, 28 Jan. 2025

But the Floor also has a secondary, more complicated function: penance. —Shaad D'souza, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2024

Michele cries, and Bananas executes on his age-old Bananas Arguing with a Girl Playbook: (1) Reject Accountability (2) Call Her Crazy (3) Shut Down At the daily challenge, Michele takes another L: T.J. explains her penance for losing last week’s competition is a 30-second time penalty. —Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 30 Oct. 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