contrite

adjective

con·​trite kən-ˈtrīt 

also

ˈkän-ˌtrīt 

: feeling or showing sorrow and remorse for improper or objectionable behavior, actions, etc.

a contrite criminal

a contrite apology

I have a sense now of his feeling somewhat contrite, or perhaps only abashed.

—Renata Adler

Ford executives had hoped their efficient, well-publicized recall efforts and contrite approach to customers would enable them to put the tire crisis behind them.

—Cathy Booth Thomas

contritely adverb

"I'm sorry," he said contritely.

contriteness noun

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-, meaning "with" or "together," and terere, "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 very possibly the familiar verb try.

Synonyms

• apologetic
• compunctious
• penitent
• regretful
• remorseful
• repentant
• rueful
• sorry

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 on the Web

How did so many Germans become contrite about the Nazi past? —Gary J. Bass, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025

Van Buren returns shortly with a newly contrite attitude, having come around to his library’s merits and read up on Toth’s prior designs in Hungary. —Anthony Paletta, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Feb. 2025

Everyone would be expecting a contrite performance from him, tepid jokes about male-female relationships, jokes about how horrible men were, and so on. —Camille Bordas, Harper's Magazine, 2 May 2024

Scotty was pretty contrite during the reunion, but Aria was clearly heartbroken. —Laura Bradley, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English contrit, borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin contrītus, past participle of Latin conterere "to pound to pieces, crush, wear out or down, exhaust mentally or physically" (Medieval Latin also, "to crush in spirit with a sense of one's sin, render contrite"), from con- con- + terere "to rub, grind, crush, wear down" — more at trite

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for contrite

• affright
• airtight
• albite
• alight
• alright
• aplite
• aright
• bainite
• birthright
• bobwhite
• bornite
• bullfight

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Kids Definition

contrite

adjective

con·​trite ˈkän-ˌtrīt  kən-ˈtrīt 

: feeling or showing sorrow and remorse for a wrong that one has done

a contrite criminal

a contrite apology

contritely adverb

contriteness noun