as in remorse
a feeling of responsibility for wrongdoing
we were moved to forgive by his tearful expressions of contrition
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Recent Examples of contrition
Afterward, the penitent offers a prayer of contrition, asking for God’s mercy.
—
Timothy Gabrielli, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2025
Sydney, Australia Reuters — A court ordered Australia’s largest airline, Qantas Airways, on Monday to pay a record fine of A$90 million ($58.64 million) for illegally sacking 1,800 ground staff during the COVID-19 pandemic and criticized it for a lack of contrition.
—CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2025
Finding contrition less than forthcoming, the husband hauled off and punched Chase, causing chaos in the school halls, according to a story in the Philadelphia Times.
—Anne Halsey, JSTOR Daily, 6 Aug. 2025
The surprise was also though that the notion of contrition is tied up with the notion of forgiveness and what that might mean.
—A Dialogue, Literary Hub, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for contrition
Timothy Gabrielli, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2025
Sydney, Australia Reuters — A court ordered Australia’s largest airline, Qantas Airways, on Monday to pay a record fine of A$90 million ($58.64 million) for illegally sacking 1,800 ground staff during the COVID-19 pandemic and criticized it for a lack of contrition.
—CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2025
Finding contrition less than forthcoming, the husband hauled off and punched Chase, causing chaos in the school halls, according to a story in the Philadelphia Times.
—Anne Halsey, JSTOR Daily, 6 Aug. 2025
The surprise was also though that the notion of contrition is tied up with the notion of forgiveness and what that might mean.
—A Dialogue, Literary Hub, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for contrition
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contrition
Noun
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A day later, Grande left a comment on the post, expressing her remorse for the interaction.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Combs submitted a four-page letter to the judge on the eve of his sentencing, expressing remorse for certain violent behavior and pleading with the judge for mercy.—
Kara Scannell,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The series’ first season, chronicling the crimes of Milwaukee serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, prompted a conversation about the exploitation of Black and disabled people’s stories for entertainment, while the season following the Menendez Brothers led to a real-world reconsidering of their guilt.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
7 Oct. 2025
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As anger fades into apathy and grief is aggravated by guilt, the public also chooses silence.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But in the small areas of freedom McAvoy allows himself outside the main thrust of the familiar rags-to-riches-to-regret arc there are sharp little digressions and darker shadowy corners that suggest there’s more to the film, and to McAvoy as a filmmaker, than initially meets the eye.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
4 Oct. 2025
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Coming after his success as a co-writer on partner Greta Gerwig’s billion-dollar hit Barbie (2023), Jay Kelly appears to signal a new chapter for the Baumbach, one less defined by fracture and regret than by celebration.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contrition.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrition. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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