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

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

Like everyone in Alice’s family, Gerry seemed to accept that parts of his life would be converted to fiction, perhaps in his case as a special kind of penance. —Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024

It has been observed for centuries as a day of sorrow, penance, and fasting, according to Britannica. —Joyce Orlando, The Tennessean, 20 Mar. 2024

To regain customers’ trust, public penance will not be enough. —Bernhard Rieger, Foreign Affairs, 4 Oct. 2015

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