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.
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
The reader is invited to follow her often frightening pursuit of spiritual penance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
A breakfast that feels more like penance than possibility.
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2026
His penance is to “pass, like night, from land to land,” repeating his story: “And till my ghastly tale is told, / This heart within me burns.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 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
Fahrenheit 451
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The Poet X
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The Joy Luck Club
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