contrite

adjective con·trite \ kən-ˈtrīt also ˈkän-ˌtrīt \

Updated on: 25 Apr 2018

Definition of contrite

: feeling or showing sorrow and remorse for a sin or shortcoming

a contrite criminal

a contrite apology

contrite sighs

—

contritely

adverb

—

contriteness

noun

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Examples of contrite in a Sentence

Allbaugh apologized, though it was clear he was hardly contrite. —Christopher Cooper &Robert Block, Disaster, 2006
… Teddy was immediately contrite. "That was stupid of me. Forgive me." —Jack Higgins, The President's Daughter, 1998
At the airport, the meter registers nine pounds, and of course he had said six or seven. I have a sense now of his feeling somewhat contrite, or perhaps only abashed. —Renata Adler, Pitch Dark, 1983
… for days afterward, afraid of himself and worried about his sanity, he would be contrite and terribly ashamed. —John Nichols, The Milagro Beanfield War, 1974
being contrite is not enough to spare you an arrest if you're caught shoplifting

Recent Examples of contrite from the Web

Chastened by more than a year of controversies that included Russian meddling, the spread of misinformation and data misappropriation, Zuckerberg had to appear sufficiently contrite and cooperative before the senators, experts say.

— tracey lien, latimes.com, "Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg shows support for the idea of regulation — but not the particulars," 11 Apr. 2018
In recent letters from prison, her father has struck a new contrite tone and expressed his continued desire to have a relationship with Tommy.

— jack dickey, SI.com, "Tommy Pham Waited Forever to Make It. Now, He's Got Plenty to Say About His Journey.," 2 Apr. 2018
After a few days of fumbling, Mark Zuckerberg finally struck a contrite tone and made some rare media appearances.

— matthew yglesias, Vox, "The week’s 4 most important political stories, explained," 23 Mar. 2018
By Tuesday, when news of his suspension began to make headlines, Christensen was somewhat contrite.

— brandon griggs, CNN, "A Nevada teen called his congressman and dropped an F-bomb while demanding action on guns. His school suspended him," 21 Mar. 2018
Initially, when presented with the allegations, Hallowell, 44, was contrite.

— tara duggan, San Francisco Chronicle, "New allegations suggest Oakland chef Charlie Hallowell was long aware of harassment charges," 11 Mar. 2018
The one truly regrettable move is Norris, who was suspended last year for a domestic violence assault and has seemed quite far from contrite about it.

— SI.com, "Twins, Indians Headline Quiet Offseason in the Rebuilding AL Central," 8 Mar. 2018
Wilson was initially contrite when news of the school transfer became public.

— perry stein, Washington Post, "D.C. mayor called her ousted school chancellor’s action ‘indefensible.’ He says she knew about it for months.," 5 Mar. 2018
More: Old friendship is hotbed of problems and advice Steven’s father has Alzheimer’s now, and his brother has contacted him acting contrite for his past behavior.

— amy dickinson, Detroit Free Press, "Should son of abusive father try to reconcile with family?," 8 Feb. 2018

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

Did You Know?

A person who is contrite may have rubbed someone the wrong way and caused bruised feelings - and there is a hint about the origins of the word in that thought. Contrite came to English by way of Anglo-French from the Latin verb conterere, meaning "to grind" or "to bruise." Conterere, in turn, was formed by combining the prefix com- and terere, meaning "to rub." If you've guessed that trite is a cousin of contrite (through terere), you are correct. Other terere descendants in English include detriment and tribulation, and very possibly the familiar verb try.

Origin and Etymology of contrite

Middle English contrit, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin contritus, from Latin, past participle of conterere to grind, bruise, from com- + terere to rub — more at ¹throw

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First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined above

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