penitence C2+ Topic:Describing People US /ˈpɛnɪtəns/ UK /ˈpɛnɪtəns/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun sincere regret or remorse for wrongdoing His penitence seemed genuine and heartfelt. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · sincere regret or remorse... contritionrepentanceremorsecompunctionruefulnessregret ↔ Opposites impenitenceunrepentancedefiance Word family Forms penitentialpenitentiallypenitentials Related forms penitentpenancerepentpenitentiary Etymology AI details From Old French penitence, from Latin paenitentia ('repentance'), from paenitere ('to cause or feel regret'). paenitentia Latin paenitere Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Describing People Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # penitence **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈpɛnɪtəns/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈpɛnɪtəns/ ## Meanings 1. sincere regret or remorse for wrongdoing ## Examples - His penitence seemed genuine and heartfelt. ## Synonyms - contrition - repentance - remorse - compunction - ruefulness - regret ## Antonyms - impenitence - unrepentance - defiance ## Related Forms - penitent - penance - repent - penitentiary ## Roots and Affixes - Root: paenitentia - Root: paenitere ## Etymology From Old French penitence, from Latin paenitentia ('repentance'), from paenitere ('to cause or feel regret'). ## AI Etymology Penitence comes from Old French penitence, from Latin paenitentia ('repentance'), from paenitere ('to cause or feel regret'). The etymological trail includes Latin paenitentia and Latin paenitere. As a noun, penitence means sincere regret or remorse for wrongdoing. The same family is visible in related forms such as penitent, penance, repent, and penitentiary. ## Topics - Describing People - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown