Penitential

//ˌpɛnɪˈtɛnʃəl// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A book or set of rules pertaining to the Christian sacrament of penance.
Adjective
  1. 1
    Pertaining to penance or penitence.

    "Guilt that all the penitential fires of hereafter can not cleanse."

Adjective
  1. 1
    showing or constituting penance wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
penitentabjectamendatoryapologeticasceticatoning

Example

More examples

"Guilt that all the penitential fires of hereafter can not cleanse."

Etymology

From Medieval Latin paenitentiālis, from Latin paenitentia (“repentance”). Attested since the 16th century.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.