He exhibited no remorse for his crime.
Source: tatoeba (298725)
Remorse
/ɹɪˈmɔɹs/
Synonyms for "remorse" (63 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (13)
Strong matches (19)
bitternesscompunctioncontritenesscontritionembarrassmentgriefguiltguilty consciencehumiliationmortificationpangpangs of conscience
Related words (31)
penancepenitencepenitentlyregretregretfulnessregretsregrettingremorse of conscienceremorsefulnessrepentancerepiningrueruefulnessself-reproachshameshamefacednessshamefastnessshamefulnesssorrinesssorrow
Show 2 more words
Interjection(1 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: compunction, contrition, guilt, penitence, repentance.
- Sentence evidence is available for remorse, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, wordnet, opengloss, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "remorse".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "remorse"
Keep "remorse" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "remorse" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "remorse", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "remorse" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
10 entriesMore specific
6 entriesCollocations
6 entriesdeep remorseexpress remorsemoral remorseprofound remorseremorse forshow remorse
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
2 entriesTranslations
102 translations across 53 languages.
Arabic
2 entries- نَدَم noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- وَخَز الضَّمِير noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Armenian
1 entries- զղջանք noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Asturian
1 entries- remordimientu noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Belarusian
4 entries- дако́ры сумле́ння noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- згрызо́ты сумле́ння noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- ка́янне noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- му́кі сумле́ння noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Bengali
1 entries- অনুশোচনা noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Bulgarian
2 entries- разка́яние noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- угризе́ния на съвестта́ noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Catalan
1 entries- remordiment noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Central Kurdish
1 entries- پەشیمانی noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Chinese Mandarin
3 entries- 內疚 /内疚 noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- 悔恨 noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- 良心的呵責 /良心的呵责 noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Czech
2 entries- lítost noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- výčitky svědomí noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Danish
3 entries- anger noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- samvittighedsnag noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- skyldfølelse noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Dutch
2 entries- berouw noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- gewetenswroeging noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Esperanto
4 entries- bedaŭro noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- memriproĉo noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- pento noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- rimorso noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Estonian
1 entries- südametunnistusepiinad noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Finnish
3 entries- katumus noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- tunnontuska noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- tunnonvaiva noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
French
2 entries- componction noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- remords noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Galician
2 entries- remordemento noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- remorso noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Georgian
1 entries- სინანული noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
German
2 entries- Gewissensbisse noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- Reue noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Greek
2 entries- ενοχή noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- τύψη noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Hungarian
3 entries- bűntudat noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- lelkifurdalás noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- lelkiismeret-furdalás noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Interlingua
1 entries- remorso noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Irish
1 entries- doilíos noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Italian
1 entries- rimorso noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Japanese
2 entries- 悔悟 noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- 良心の呵責 noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Khmer
1 entries- វិប្បដិសារី noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Korean
3 entries- 자책감 noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- 죄의식 noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- 회오 noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Latin
1 entries- cōnscientia noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Latvian
1 entries- sirdsapziņas pārmetums noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Lithuanian
1 entries- sąžinės priekaištai noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Macedonian
2 entries- грижа на совеста noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- каење noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Malayalam
2 entries- കുറ്റബോധം noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- പശ്ചാത്താപം noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Middle English
1 entries- remors noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Mongolian
1 entries- гэмшил noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Māori
2 entries- kaniawhea noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- kaniawheatanga noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Northern Kurdish
1 entries- poşmanî noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Norwegian Bokmål
2 entries- anger noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- samvittighetsnag noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Old English
1 entries- hrēow noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Ottoman Turkish
1 entries- اوگنج noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Plautdietsch
1 entries- Schultjefeel noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Polish
2 entries- skrucha noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- wyrzuty sumienia noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Portuguese
2 entries- remordimento noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- remorsos noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Romanian
2 entries- regret noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- remușcare noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Russian
3 entries- раска́яние noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- сожале́ние noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- угрызе́ния со́вести noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- griža savesti noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- griža savjesti noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- grižnja savesti noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- grižnja savjesti noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Slovak
2 entries- výčitky svedomia noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- ľútosť noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Slovene
3 entries- kes noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- kesanje noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- obžalovanje noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Spanish
2 entries- compunción noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- remordimiento noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Swedish
2 entries- samvetskval noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- ånger noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Thai
2 entries- การเสียดาย noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- สำนึกผิด noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Ukrainian
3 entries- каяття́ noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- му́ки со́вісті noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
- му́ки сумлі́ння noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Vietnamese
1 entries- hối hận noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Welsh
1 entries- edifeirwch noun (feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning)
Sample sentences
16 total sentences available.
They show no remorse for their misdeeds, but continue to commit one crime after another.
Source: tatoeba (402154)
Tom felt remorse for what he had done.
Source: tatoeba (1094106)
Remorse is not synonymous with regret.
Source: tatoeba (1209053)
Showing 4 of 16 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "remorse"?
Closest matches include compunction, contrition, guilt, penitence, repentance.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "remorse"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.