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Definitions

penance

[pen-uhns] / ˈpɛn əns /


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.

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Part of my penance was buying $50 worth of groceries for the house.

From Salon Jul. 3, 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

There are the shamefaced former members, who confess their gullibility as a kind of penance; there are the cockamamie claims on which the belief system is based.

From The Wall Street Journal May 28, 2026

“I write to make amends,” she reflects, describing a lifetime of studying Cuba as a kind of penance for what she calls being “the chosen one” that spring day in 1963.

From Los Angeles Times May 19, 2026

“Carlisle swam to France, and continued on through Europe, to the universities there. By night he studied music, science, medicine — and found his calling, his penance, in that, in saving human lives.”

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer




Vocabulary lists containing penance


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