as in remorse
a feeling of responsibility for wrongdoing
we were moved to forgive by his tearful expressions of contrition
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Recent Examples of contrition
Joel Quenneville returned to hockey Thursday with contrition.
—
Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2025
Prosecutors cited Gutierrez-Reed's lack of contrition during the trial as one reason to impose the maximum sentence.
—Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 23 May 2025
Kiefer’s visceral oeuvre – spanning monumental paintings, sculptures, installations, woodcuts, artists’ books, works on paper, and films – confronts his childhood amid the rubble and contrition of postwar Germany.
—Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
The stewards still looked dimly on the matter despite noting his contrition, fining him €10,000 with €5,000 being suspended for 12 months.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contrition
Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2025
Prosecutors cited Gutierrez-Reed's lack of contrition during the trial as one reason to impose the maximum sentence.
—Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 23 May 2025
Kiefer’s visceral oeuvre – spanning monumental paintings, sculptures, installations, woodcuts, artists’ books, works on paper, and films – confronts his childhood amid the rubble and contrition of postwar Germany.
—Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
The stewards still looked dimly on the matter despite noting his contrition, fining him €10,000 with €5,000 being suspended for 12 months.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contrition
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contrition
Noun
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Known for their efficiency and lack of remorse, the duo will kill anyone as long as the price is right.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
14 July 2025
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Awarding his character the poetry of remorse undercuts Vic’s arc as an animal that Quilla only thought was capable of love.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
11 July 2025
Noun
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There's a lot of guilt … a ton of fear, but there's also deep gratitude.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 July 2025
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Wood sent to prison after violating probation A Jan. 1, 2010, incident — five months after his initial probation ended — led to an admission of guilt by Wood.—
Jose R. Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
12 July 2025
Noun
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There, of course, should be zero regret in signing Serrano, who has represented the brand better than anybody.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
12 July 2025
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But in May, nine leading children’s hospitals across the country received letters from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, demanding data on revenue from pediatric gender treatments and the rates of regret among patients, according to a person with knowledge of the effort.—
Azeen Ghorayshi,
Chicago Tribune,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contrition.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrition. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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