: of or relating to penitence or penance
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Recent Examples of penitential from the Web
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The 40-day penitential period of Lent helps Christians prepare to appreciate the joy of Easter.
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Graf said, referring to the definition of penitential communication under state law.
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This disciplinary practice of abstaining from meat on the Fridays in Lent is an important dimension of the penitential nature of the season.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'penitential.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of penitential
before 12th century
PENITENTIAL Defined for English Language Learners
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: relating to the feeling of being sorry for doing something wrong : relating to penitence or penance
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