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 reader is invited to follow her often frightening pursuit of spiritual penance.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
A cold-weather salad wants heat at its core, something warm enough to soften the greens and make the whole bowl feel like actual food rather than penance.
From Salon • Dec. 16, 2025
Williams’ Anna absorbs his fury as though it were the penance she herself would mete out for her sins.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 15, 2025
Mr Sloan said he later built the cathedral at Inch Abbey as "an act of penance" and made that into a Cistercian monastery.
From BBC • Apr. 20, 2025
Cadence displayed a disquieting desire to rid herself of all unnecessary possessions, even things of sentimental value, almost as if doing penance for past crimes.
From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart
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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