CONTRITE Synonyms: 32 Similar and Opposite Words

contrite

adjective

kən-ˈtrīt

Definition of contrite

as in remorseful

feeling sorrow for a wrong that one has done being contrite is not enough to spare you a detention if you're caught skipping class

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of contrite This and that ▪ Dolphins rookie running back Ollie Gordon II was contrite about lashing out at running backs coach Eric Studesville in a heated exchange after Gordon was called for a tripping penalty against Baltimore. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025 That's why Gausman was contrite despite a mostly fantastic effort. — Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025 The dispatches from one of India’s most troubled generic drug makers were contrite, filled with far-reaching promises to clean up its factory, stop contamination and send safe medication to Americans counting on the company’s drugs. — Megan Rose, ProPublica, 12 Aug. 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 See All Example Sentences for contrite

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contrite

Adjective

To Tommy, Anna and Molly are twittering encumbrances, idiotic in their insistence on good works and the good of man, their endless remorseful hedgings about the Communist Party.

— Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Outside the courtroom, attorney Eric Clayman told reporters that Watson is remorseful and didn’t want to hurt Ibrahim.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026

Definition of remorseful

Adjective

Father Ruiz, who was from Peru, by contrast always felt a little ashamed of not having studied in any concerted way.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026
Rather, marijuana is part of the private language keeping Molly and Frankie afloat, and instead of feeling ashamed, the soulmates have designed their lives around celebrating weed as a kind of romance.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of ashamed

Adjective

There has also always been a place for vice in fragrance (sorry to point out that classic diet cola and cigarettes, while very Gabbriette right now, are not actually good for you).

— Loren Savini, Allure, 13 Aug. 2026
Evidence of silence quietly (sorry) breaking apart one’s bearings bleeds through both the main plot thread and satellite storylines, which include recurring visits to a client of Ninh’s and that man’s own conflicts with his distant wife.

— Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of sorry

Adjective

An apologetic statement this week and commitment to not letting history repeat itself has, though, done little to placate the intensifying scrutiny of his leadership.

— Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
The cleaning lady was very apologetic and offered to pay for the sink itself.

— R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of apologetic

Adjective

Johnson wrote in a letter in the filing to the Illinois review board that Hoover is repentant and has the potential and the desire to live the rest of his life as a force for good in his community.

— Beatrice Peterson, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2025
Perry had been reluctant to engage with recovery groups in the past, which are often structured around repentant confessions.

— Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 4 Aug. 2025

Definition of repentant

Adjective

Having your biggest look also be your most penitent is a bold move, but it’s girded by Rome having put in years of work and collected plenty of horror stories to reflect on.

— Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 17 July 2026
In his speech to the Spanish parliament Monday, Leo framed the right of the church to keep priest-penitent conversations confidential as a matter of freedom of religion.

— Suman Naishadham, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026

Definition of penitent

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“Contrite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrite. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of contrite

adjective

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