atonement

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noun atone·ment \ ə-ˈtōn-mənt \

Definition of atonement

1 :reparation for an offense or injury :satisfaction

a story of sin and atonement

He wanted to find a way to make atonement for his sins.

2 :the reconciliation of God and humankind through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ

3 Christian Science :the exemplifying of human oneness with God

4 obsolete :reconciliation

See atonement defined for kids

Recent Examples of atonement from the Web

But even if an anthropologically sophisticated chief of staff could devise a secular form of atonement, Trump would not undergo it.

— jonathan haidt, The Atlantic, "Trump Breaks a Taboo—and Pays the Price," 21 Aug. 2017
Jamo’s response is not the usual reaction to Europe’s postwar conversion of concentration camps into memorials and museums, places of atonement and civic education that ask visitors never to forget the Nazi past.

— alexandra rojkov, Washington Post, "At a site of Nazi terror, Muslim refugees reckon with Germany’s past," 10 Aug. 2017
There, travelers will find the Red Keep at Fort Lovrijenac, the Baroque Staircase where Cersei made her famous walk of atonement and the House of the Undying, filmed around the city’s walls.

— mackenzie schmidt, PEOPLE.com, "How to Go on a Game of Thrones Vacation for Less Than $100," 20 July 2017
Merkel called Germans to a service beyond atonement for their dark past: to open their communities to strangers, from cultures with traditions, languages, and faiths dramatically different from their own.

— kati marton, Vogue, "How Angela Merkel Became the Most Powerful Woman in the World," 18 July 2017
But most common are fans channeling Septa Unella, the malignant nun who scolded Cersei during her infamous walk of atonement through Kings Landing in Season 5.

— jeremy egner, New York Times, "Lena Headey, Cersei in ‘Game of Thrones,’ Has Her Own Power Moves," 5 July 2017
Vukovic says he's seen people re-enact Cersei's infamous walk of atonement through Old Town — a couple of them, like the tyrannical queen, without clothing.

— terri colby, chicagotribune.com, "'Game of Thrones' fans retrace footsteps of HBO hit in ancient Dubrovnik," 28 June 2017
Brown would have her first chance for atonement leading off the bottom of the third.

— tony baranek, Daily Southtown, "Brianna Brown goes on run as Marist tops West Aurora to reach state semis," 5 June 2017
For the overwhelming majority of Muslims, Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is a time of prayer and atonement.

— amarnath amarasingam, The Atlantic, "ISIS's Perverse, Bloody Interpretation of Ramadan," 26 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'atonement.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.