penance
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.
In another, “Mao’s Guilt,” the late Chinese leader kneels with his hand over his heart, seemingly in a display of penance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
The Vatican said on Thursday: "The sacred ministers of the Society of St Pius X administer the sacraments illicitly, while the sacrament of penance they administer and the marriages they witness are invalid."
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Starting in the fourth century, pilgrimages were served up by the church as a way for Christians to pay penance for their sins.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2026
A breakfast that feels more like penance than possibility.
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2026
As a kind of penance, he did not wash his face.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
Vocabulary lists containing penance
Fahrenheit 451
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The Poet X
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The Joy Luck Club
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