How to Use penitential in a Sentence

penitential

adjective

• Other penitential acts bring the communal aspect more to the fore.
  — Timothy Gabrielli, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2025
• Geometric wrought-iron gates and latticed concrete walls pattern the scenes with a penitential feel.
  — Namwali Serpell, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2025
• Or could the dust be ash, akin to the penitential mark that some Christians wear on their brows on Ash Wednesday?
  — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2021
• There is no Kingdom of God without the penitential turn of the soul to the grace and goodness of God.
  — Daniel J. Mahoney, National Review, 6 Feb. 2020
• The practices were somewhat penitential, but not as intense as those of Lent, and the spirit was much more preparation than penance.
  — WSJ, 4 Jan. 2024
• Sitting through the longueurs of Simon’s book shouldn’t have to be the penitential price for our enjoyment of the musical portion of the show.
  — Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 23 June 2018
• The choir – split into two groups to accommodate social distancing – offers four works that touch on penitential themes.
  — oregonlive, 22 Mar. 2022
• When this occurs, public worship is suspended until a penitential rite is performed to restore the sanctity of the church.
  — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2025
• Today is Ash Wednesday, which for Christians marks the start of the 40-day penitential season of Lent.
  — Editors, USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2022
• But there’s something penitential about her account, a purging of her regret and guilt about her co-workers (many of whom testify here) but also her stupidity, about business and men.
  — John Anderson, WSJ, 15 Mar. 2022
• This disciplinary practice of abstaining from meat on the Fridays in Lent is an important dimension of the penitential nature of the season.
  — Craig Lazzeretti, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2017
• The services during Yom Kippur are held continuously through the day and include readings from the Torah and the reciting of penitential prayers.
  — CNN, 2 Sep. 2021
• Graf said, referring to the definition of penitential communication under state law.
  — Dana Littlefield, sandiegouniontribune.com, 29 Apr. 2017
• Inclement weather, a lack of footwear, and food and sleep deprivation all contribute to pilgrims’ immersion in the penitential suffering of purgatory.
  — Lanta Davis and Vince Reighard, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Mar. 2024
• In contrast to the penitential nature of Lent, Easter is a festive period that lasts for fifty days, culminating with the feast of Pentecost.
  — Nadia Cantú, AZCentral.com, 3 Feb. 2026
• The penitential practice is derived from Jesus Christ's 40-day fast in the desert and is intended to help the faithful prepare their minds and bodies for Easter.
  — Nicholas Rowan, Washington Examiner, 26 Feb. 2020
• The 40-day penitential period of Lent helps Christians prepare to appreciate the joy of Easter.
  — Greg Garrison, AL.com, 14 Feb. 2018
• By rare coincidence the first service of selichot, the penitential prayers recited for a month in the run up to the High Holidays, began on the first day of the solemn month of Muharram.
  — The Economist, 28 Jan. 2020
• Purchase of pardons had traditionally allowed people to bypass the penitential rituals the Church required for remission of sins.
  — Maureen Quilligan, WSJ, 1 Feb. 2022
• During the 8th to 10th centuries, this practice fell by the wayside and the penitential season of Lent started being marked with ashes placed on the heads of the entire congregation.
  — Chris Sims, IndyStar, 13 Feb. 2026
• During the 8th to 10th centuries, this practice fell by the wayside and the penitential season of Lent started being marked with ashes placed on the heads of the entire congregation.
  — Chris Sims, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Feb. 2026
• During the 8th to 10th centuries, this practice fell by the wayside and the penitential season of Lent started being marked with ashes placed on the heads of the entire congregation.
  — Chris Sims, Louisville Courier Journal, 14 Feb. 2026
• March Madness is an essentially penitential affair, a series of physical and spiritual trials interrupted by familiar rhythms, not unlike the experience of a novice in a monastery.
  — Matthew Walther, WSJ, 1 Apr. 2021
• The treat, pronounced punch-key in plural or pon-check in singular, has its origins in Polish Catholic traditions of eating up fattening foods before their religious fasting and penitential season of Lent began.
  — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
• McCarrick is currently facing an internal, ecclesiastical trial, and has been ordered by the Vatican to remain in penitential seclusion until that time.
  — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, 26 Aug. 2018
• In the 4th century, these festivals were adapted by Christians and incorporated into the liturgical calendar as a period of indulgence before the penitential observance of Lent.
  — Brandi D. Addison, Austin American Statesman, 23 Feb. 2026
• During the litigation of the case, Thompson said an issue arose as to whether the pastors’ testimony would be allowed under a Kansas statute that allows penitential communication between religious leaders and church-goers to remain private.
  — Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2025
• This year, the start of Ramadan is expected around the same time as Ash Wednesday, a solemn day of fasting and reflection that signals the start of Lent, the most penitential season of the church calendar for Catholics and many other Christians.
  — Mariam Fam, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2026
• The access was the result of a recent court order that ruled Roman Catholic clergy members be allowed to minister to detainees at the Broadview facility on the day of prayer, which marks the start of Lent — the most penitential season of the year for Catholics and many other Christians.
  — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026