Words / C2

PEN-it-uh-nt/ˈpenɪtənt/

Penitent means feeling or showing sincere sorrow for having done wrong: a penitent letter, look penitent. Sorry is everyday; remorseful and contrite are close. Penitence is the noun; a penitent can also be a person who repents. Do not treat a penitent email as a restored file.

Meaning

Feeling or showing sincere sorrow for having done wrong.

Examples

• “A penitent email does not restore the only CSV.”
• “Sorry is everyday. Remorseful is close. Contrite is the church-and-formal twin. Apology is the speech act. Feeling is not backup. A dated recovery of the file is the amendment. Tears in the corridor do not rebuild the spreadsheet. Restore first; then be sorry.”

Good to know

Sorry and wanting to make amends. Everyday: sorry. Close: remorseful / contrite. Feeling ≠ a restored CSV.

Near in meaning

sorry

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