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.
He returns home in beggar’s clothes with a plan to pay penance to the scores of souls he unjustly sent to the underworld.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
The reader is invited to follow her often frightening pursuit of spiritual penance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 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
The new film is the director’s penance: an apologia to musical lovers who want to see the star do every inch of the dancing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025
I wonder if I can make Dad eat the most disgusting foods of every country we visit, as penance for his running off to Colorado.
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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