0 the feeling of being sorry for something you have done because you feel it was wrong, or the act of showing this:
1 regret for a mistake and willingness to correct it:
He expressed his penitence for what he had done.
All religious punishment hinged on penitence and an avowal of guilt.
One was that penitence and holiness were not to be bought at the price of asceticism, a position going against the prevailing wisdom.
She has also done a great service by illuminating the substantial differences in their view on penitence.
An emergency rota of penitence and pilgrimage was scripted.
Men and women alike were called to penitence and charity and all were promised the same spiritual benefits.
