penance

1 of 2

noun

pen·​ance ˈpe-nən(t)s 

1

: an act of self-abasement, mortification (see mortification sense 3), or devotion performed to show sorrow or repentance for sin

He did charitable work as a penance.

2

: a sacramental rite that is practiced in Roman, Eastern, and some Anglican churches and that consists of private confession, absolution, and a penance directed by the confessor (see confessor sense 3a)

3

: something (such as a hardship or penalty) resembling an act of penance (as in compensating for an offense)

… go on cheap camping trips instead of real vacations as a kind of penance.

—Judith Thurman

penance

2 of 2

verb

penanced; penancing

transitive verb

: to impose penance on

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How Should You Use penance?

Penance as a form of apology for a mistake can be either voluntary or ordered by someone else. Many religions include penance among the ways in which believers can show repentance or regret for a misdeed. The Christian season of Lent, 40 days long, is traditionally a time for doing penance.

Examples of penance in a Sentence

Noun

He did charitable work as a penance.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Whatever the penance was, the next day, Barry was back on the roster. —Jeremy Collins, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025

And yet his father, Martin Jarvis (Jonathan Banks), the original magnate, reluctantly, almost as penance for unleashing this child unto the world, abets the sociopathy of his son. —Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2025

What penance was being so rigorously staged? —Helen Molesworth, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025

So let’s think of this next step as something like a renter’s penance. —Clio Chang, Curbed, 26 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin poenitentia penitence

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1580, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

penance

noun

pen·​ance

ˈpen-ən(t)s

1

: an act showing sorrow or regret for sin

2

: a sacrament consisting of regret for sin, confession to a priest, an act showing sorrow or regret ordered by the confessor, and forgiveness