penitential

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of penitential The church released a statement on its website Thursday saying that, due to the desecration of the altar, Abbot Elijah Owens and the monastic community will undertake the penitential rite, reparation for the desecration and offer a Mass of Reparation. Monica Brich, Arkansas Online, 7 Jan. 2023 Throughout Lent—the penitential season prior to Easter, which for the Orthodox is this Sunday—Ukrainian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, and Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishops, metropolitans, clergy, and scholars have been consumed with the issues of the war. Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2022 Established and state-regulated by the late fourth century, Christian sanctuary was based in episcopal intercession and penitential discipline; it was intended to spare the body the worst consequences of crime and thereby to save the soul from the everlasting implications of sin. Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, The New York Review of Books, 3 Nov. 2020 Purchase of pardons had traditionally allowed people to bypass the penitential rituals the Church required for remission of sins. Maureen Quilligan, WSJ, 1 Feb. 2022 See all Example Sentences for penitential 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penitential
Adjective
  • But with Cash on the vocals, the song and the man singing are nearly penitent.
    Stephanie Kaloi and James Mercadante, EW.com, 21 Dec. 2024
  • Eighteen years later, playing the beloved daughter of Al Pacino’s Michael, she is shot dead on the steps of the opera house in Palermo, taking a bullet meant for the belatedly penitent godfather, who now comprehends without any doubt that there is no escaping the sins of his or his relatives’ past.
    Andrew Marzoni, The New Republic, 3 Nov. 2023
Adjective
  • Now, an apologetic Martin, who says the damage to the bluff was unintentional, has won city of Miami approval for an unprecedented fix — hiring a skilled stonemason to recreate the missing top two-and-a-half feet of the exposed, naturally jagged rock outcropping.
    Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2025
  • The Guard member was apologetic as people kept coming up, begging to get medication, clothes and insurance papers from their homes.
    Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • In his new statement, Suga took an even more repentant tone, apologizing for damaging his reputation and disappointing fans while opening himself to any further punishment.
    Justin Curto, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2024
  • Released 24 years after a debut verse on an album no less auspicious than Outkast’s Stankonia, this was a veteran artist taking stock, vividly drawing the lines between the struggling kid and the grateful, repentant adult.
    Christopher R. Weingarten, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2024
Adjective
  • Everyone would be expecting a contrite performance from him, tepid jokes about male-female relationships, jokes about how horrible men were, and so on.
    Camille Bordas, Harper's Magazine, 2 May 2024
  • Scotty was pretty contrite during the reunion, but Aria was clearly heartbroken.
    Laura Bradley, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Not necessarily remorseful about it or sad about it.
    Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
  • Meanwhile, the fans wearing Aaron Judge and Mariano Rivera jerseys who tried to pry the ball from Betts’ glove weren’t exactly remorseful.
    Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near penitential

Cite this Entry

“Penitential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penitential. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.

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