penitent

4 definitions found

penitent - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Penitent \Pen"i*tent\, a. [F. p['e]nitent, L. paenitens, -entis,
     poenitens, p. pr. of paenitere, poenitere, to cause to
     repent, to repent; prob. akin to poena punishment. See
     Pain.]
     1. Feeling pain or sorrow on account of sins or offenses;
        repentant; contrite; sincerely affected by a sense of
        guilt, and resolved on amendment of life.
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              Be penitent, and for thy fault contrite. --Milton.
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              The proud he tamed, the penitent he cheered.
                                                    --Dryden.
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     2. Doing penance. [Obs.] --Shak.
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  Penitent \Pen"i*tent\, n.
     1. One who repents of sin; one sorrowful on account of his
        transgressions.
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     2. One under church censure, but admitted to penance; one
        undergoing penance.
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     3. One under the direction of a confessor.
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     Note: Penitents is an appellation given to certain
           fraternities in Roman Catholic countries, distinguished
           by their habit, and employed in charitable acts.
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penitent - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  penitent
      adj 1: feeling or expressing remorse for misdeeds [syn:
             penitent, repentant] [ant: impenitent,
             unremorseful, unrepentant]
      n 1: (Roman Catholic Church) a person who repents for wrongdoing
           (a Roman Catholic may be admitted to penance under the
           direction of a confessor)

penitent - Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :

  24 Moby Thesaurus words for "penitent":
     Magdalen, abject, apologetic, compunctious, confessor,
     conscience-stricken, contrite, grief-stricken, humbled, melted,
     penitential, penitentiary, prodigal returned, prodigal son,
     regretful, remorseful, repentant, rueful, sad, sheepish, softened,
     sorrowful, sorry, touched