atonement

atone·ment | \ ə-ˈtōn-mənt

How to pronounce atonement (audio)

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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

Examples of atonement in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the early 1990s, Professor Ross accompanied Floyd Cochran, once the national spokesman for the Aryan Nations, on a national atonement tour. — Jessica Bennett, New York Times, "What if Instead of Calling People Out, We Called Them In?," 19 Nov. 2020 In Black communities, the conversation about racial atonement has been ongoing for generations, but now the conversation has expanded to other communities. — Otis R. Taylor Jr., SFChronicle.com, "Thanks to Trump, U.S. no longer in denial of racism," 2 Nov. 2020 For the Houghton Library, a respectful burial of the human remains would be a long overdue act of atonement. — Paul Needham, The New York Review of Books, "A Proper Burial," 5 Nov. 2020 And, historically, decision-makers in this country have ignored commissions that seek atonement. — Otis R. Taylor Jr., SFChronicle.com, "It’s beyond time to make reparations for enslaving an entire race, but commissions aren’t the answer," 29 Oct. 2020 Rabbi Schultz suggests repentance and atonement, specifically towards Joey and Rachel. — Lydia Wang, refinery29.com, "R29 Binge Club: Netflix’s Grand Army Recaps," 19 Oct. 2020 The High Holy Days are a time of prayer, reflection, repentance and atonement. — al, "High Holy Days end with Yom Kippur, including service in Birmingham Botanical Gardens," 28 Sep. 2020 This year Yom Kippur, the day of atonement in the Jewish calendar, begins at sunset on Sunday 27th September. — refinery29.com, "6 Little-Known Rules For Observing Yom Kippur," 27 Sep. 2020 Every year, businesses shut down, roads empty out and even radio and TV stations go silent as the faithful fast for 25 hours and hold intensive prayers of atonement on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. — Joseph Krauss, Anchorage Daily News, "Israelis mark Yom Kippur under ‘painful’ virus lockdown," 27 Sep. 2020

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.

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Dictionary Entries near atonement

at one's own peril

at one's own risk

at one time or another

Statistics for atonement

Last Updated

20 Dec 2020

Cite this Entry

“Atonement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atonement. Accessed 20 Jan. 2021.

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