How to Use penitence in a Sentence

penitence

noun
  • My penitence froze me in place, scared to make a move for fear of ruining something else.
    — Lisa Richardson, Longreads, 8 Apr. 2020
  • After putting in the hard work of patience and penitence, the month is finished off with optimism.
    — Manal Aman, Woman's Day, 18 Apr. 2022
  • The trip broke the norms of papal travel because it was overtly aimed at penitence, not evangelization.
    — Chico Harlan, Washington Post, 30 July 2022
  • In many religions, the sacrifice of hair can signal penitence.
    — Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2023
  • The civic leaders believed that, at their cores, all men had good hearts and that they would be redeemed through penitence, hence the name of the world’s first penitentiary.
    — Jay Jones, chicagotribune.com, 25 Sep. 2017
  • Boston’s city leaders believed this to be true and, in late June, called for a town-wide observance of a day of penitence and fasting.
    — Tom Levenson, Time, 20 May 2026
  • Lavender for the remembrance and penitence of Lent, in addition to plastic eggs.
    — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2020
  • Another popular ritual is to walk to a river or stream and recite special prayers of penitence.
    — CNN, 26 Aug. 2021
  • There are, no doubt, references to art historical tropes, perhaps to images that remind of us of the brevity of life, or even penitence.
    — Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2021
  • But after a perfunctory squeeze, her father lays his head on her shoulder in a gesture of affectionate, put-on penitence.
    — Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
  • These devotions are an act of penitence to raise awareness of Jesus’s self-sacrifice and love, says Morrill.
    — Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, 1 Mar. 2019
  • In 2011, Karadima was found guilty by a church tribunal and sentenced to spend the remainder of his life in prayer and penitence.
    — Kristin E. Holmes, Philly.com, 25 May 2018
  • The fasting and abstinence are to practice self-control and come from the original penitence practice of the observation.
    — Matthew Kayser, Ascend Agency, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Ashes and dust—Catholic symbols of penitence and mortality—were familiar to the author from the faith that restored meaning to his life.
    — Brenda Cronin, WSJ, 8 Oct. 2021
  • When the Leominster stool was moved to its new position in the priory in 2004, locals held a service of penitence.
    — Katie Dancey-Downs, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 July 2022
  • Some could bring only fear, and the probability of future fear was dependent on the probability of past fear, as well as on the parent’s over-all chance of penitence.
    — Weike Wang, The New Yorker, 11 July 2024
  • Ireland, however, seems to have a lockdown perfectly calibrated to be a marathon of penitence, anxiety, and misery.
    — Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 7 Apr. 2021
  • Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is the last day of indulgence allowed before the period of fasting and penitence.
    — al, 22 Feb. 2023
  • In 2011, a Vatican tribunal convicted Karadima and sentenced him to a life of prayer and penitence.
    — Elisabetta Povoledo, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Apr. 2018
  • Originally, fasting was a strict penitence, and parishioners would abstain from eating until sundown and avoid the consumption of meat, fish, eggs, and butter through their observance.
    — Matthew Kayser, Ascend Agency, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Rosh Hashana is marked by the blowing of the shofar in synagogue and begins the 10 days of penitence culminating in Yom Kippur.
    — Sherry Greenfield, Baltimore Sun, 4 Oct. 2022
  • The apology that Francis made on Indigeneous lands on Monday, long in coming and held back along the way, put the Church on the path of penitence once and for all.
    — Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 26 July 2022
  • Thomas Bell Atlanta Christians admit their shortcomings, practice penitence and repent.
    — WSJ, 15 Jan. 2020
  • The church has tended to emphasize spiritual penitence instead of penitentiaries.
    — Washington Post, 15 Oct. 2021
  • Proponents of this system believed that solitude would lead to penitence, which would ultimately result in rehabilitation.
    — Gulnaz Khan, National Geographic, 31 Oct. 2020
  • The libretto, an amalgam of biblical texts, moves from a dark depiction of apocalypse, through sections of penitence and prophesy, to an evocation of spiritual solace.
    — John Von Rhein, chicagotribune.com, 30 July 2017
  • In Strahovski’s case, that’s a penitence that’s still shaded with Serena Joy’s pride and near-total inability to truly concede wrong.
    — Daniel D'addario, Variety, 8 Sep. 2022
  • The Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist may have been raised in the birthplace of Calvinism, with its reputation for austerity and penitence.
    — Randy Kennedy, New York Times, 21 Oct. 2016
  • Especially at this time of year, when mismatches on the power play — at 6-foot-4, Nichushkin blots out the sun as well as opposing goalies’ vision — can often mean the difference between parades and penitence.
    — Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 14 May 2024
  • Initially jarring, Vendafreddo’s approach allows Tommy to convey skepticism, penitence and revulsion in ways that add surprising depth to the character.
    — Bill Brownlee, kansascity.com, 10 June 2017

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'penitence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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