penitential
Americanadjective
noun
Other Word Forms
- penitentially adverb
- unpenitential adjective
- unpenitentially adverb
Etymology
Origin of penitential
1500–10; < Medieval Latin pēnitēntiālis, Late Latin paenitēntiālis. See penitent, -ial
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It also marks the beginning of the penitential Lenten season.
From Los Angeles Times
In the eyes of the German public, Stadler's guilty plea did not look particularly penitential.
From BBC
The prayer service, known as a penitential rite and required by Canon law, was led by the basilica's archpriest, Cardinal Mauro Gambetti.
From Reuters
The Vatican said that the text, issued eight months after the pope’s “penitential journey to Canada,” reaffirmed the church’s “rejection of the colonizing mentality.”
From New York Times
In songs such as the welcome-to-hell “School Song” and “Bruce,” recounting a penitential cake-eating challenge, the ensemble dances through the hallways and assembly rooms with dizzying élan.
From Washington Post
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
