Roget's Thesaurus

#950. Penitence

Nouns

penitence, contrition, compunction, repentance, remorse; regret etc. 833. self-reproach, self-reproof, self-accusation, self-condemnation, self-humiliation; stings of conscience, pangs of conscience, qualms of conscience, prickings of conscience, twinge of conscience, twitch of conscience, touch of conscience, voice of conscience; compunctious visitings of nature. acknowledgment, confession etc. (disclosure) 529; apology etc. 952; recantation etc. 607; penance etc. 952; resipiscence. awakened conscience, deathbed repentance, locus paenitentiae [Lat.], stool of repentance, cuttystool. penitent, repentant, Magdalen, prodigal son, a sadder and a wiser man [Coleridge].

Verbs

repent, be sorry for; be penitent etc. adj.; rue; regret etc. 833; think better of; recant etc. 607; knock under etc. (submit) 725; plead guilty; sing miserere [Lat.], sing de profundis [Lat.]; cry peccavi; own oneself in the wrong; acknowledge, confess etc., (disclose) 529; humble oneself; beg pardon etc. (apologize) 952; turn over a new leaf, put on the new man, turn from sin; reclaim; repent in sackcloth and ashes etc., (do penance) 952; learn by experience.

Adjectives

penitent; repenting etc. v.; repentant, contrite; conscience-smitten, conscience-stricken; self-accusing, self-convicted. penitential, penitentiary; reclaimed, reborn; not hardened; unhardened.

Adverbs

mea culpa.

Phrases

peccavi; erubuit [Lat.]; salva res est [Lat.] [Terence]; Tu l'as voulu [Fr.], Georges Dandin; and wet his grave with my repentant tears [Richard III].