Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Showing results for penance. Search instead for penunze.
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.

Islamic fasting is oriented toward submission to divine will, while Christian penance is animated by gratitude for the incarnate God who suffered, died and rose again for the salvation of humanity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

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

They straddle the line between indulgence and wellness, pleasure and penance.

From Salon • May 19, 2025

Well, they only do in one respect, and that seems to be Röhl’s main fixation: They’re all associated with attempts to work through and do penance for Nazi Germany’s crimes.

From Slate • Jan. 5, 2025

Sometimes I play with the fantasy that I am a princess who, in penance for some tiny transgression, has undertaken to feed each of her subjects by hand.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich




Vocabulary lists containing penance


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "penance" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com