penitential

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Weeks later, during the penitential Yom Kippur prayers in a small Berlin synagogue, Rosenzweig reversed his decision.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

In 2022, Pope Francis made a "penitential pilgrimage" across Canada, where he offered an apology to local tribal leaders.

From BBC • Nov. 15, 2025

It also marks the beginning of the penitential Lenten season.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2024

In songs such as the welcome-to-hell “School Song” and “Bruce,” recounting a penitential cake-eating challenge, the ensemble dances through the hallways and assembly rooms with dizzying élan.

From Washington Post • Dec. 19, 2022

The whole penitential discipline, the entire mode or tenor of the monastic life, was designed to tame every sentiment of pride, and to give humility a foremost place in the hierarchy of virtues.

From History of European Morals From Augustus to Charlemagne (Vol. 2 of 2) by Lecky, William Edward Hartpole