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
All Your Faces > Sing Sing Jeanne Herry observes contrition among society’s criminals and their victims, a deeper dive than the incoherent sentimentality of Greg Kwedar’s incarceral black-Latino pity party.
—
Armond White, National Review, 8 Jan. 2025
There have been plenty of opportunities for humility, sobriety, contrition.
—Martin McKenzie-Murray, SPIN, 7 Jan. 2025
If the ensuing cleanup operation wasn't going to be difficult enough, the cat's clear lack of regret and contrition made matters even worse.
—George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
Only once did Watson show any type of contrition, which was in a pregame interview before his first preseason game as a member of the Browns.
—Jason Lloyd, The Athletic, 29 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for contrition
Armond White, National Review, 8 Jan. 2025
There have been plenty of opportunities for humility, sobriety, contrition.
—Martin McKenzie-Murray, SPIN, 7 Jan. 2025
If the ensuing cleanup operation wasn't going to be difficult enough, the cat's clear lack of regret and contrition made matters even worse.
—George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
Only once did Watson show any type of contrition, which was in a pregame interview before his first preseason game as a member of the Browns.
—Jason Lloyd, The Athletic, 29 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for contrition
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contrition
Noun
-
Go hard against the legal system, sure, but show remorse for the injured party.—
Victoria Uwumarogie,
Essence,
17 Mar. 2025
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Pattinson’s performance makes this horrifying lack of remorse legible.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Vietor, worried about guilt by association, turned it down.—
Andrew Marantz,
The New Yorker,
17 Mar. 2025
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That guilt will weigh on my heart for the rest of my life.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
People.com,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Bernstein and von Karajan, Danish continues, exemplify this duality, engaging openly with universal human issues like ambition, mortality, regret, and reconciliation. Music, central to both conductors' lives, plays a significant role in Last Call.—
Court Stroud,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
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The surface is cool and breezy, while the film’s soul is about regret and a yearning for something more out of life.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
14 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contrition.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrition. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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