Word: penitent (adjective / noun)

Associations

The word "penitent" is often used to describe someone who feels sorry for doing something wrong and wants to make up for it.

• As an adjective: It means feeling or showing regret for a mistake or sin.
• As a noun: It means a person who feels sorry and asks for forgiveness.

Examples:

• The penitent thief apologized for his crime. (adjective: feeling sorry)
• The penitent confessed his mistakes to the priest. (noun: a person who feels sorry)
• After realizing his error, she was truly penitent and tried to fix it. (adjective)

Synonym: "repentant" is very close in meaning. The difference is that "penitent" often has a religious or formal tone, especially related to asking for forgiveness. "Repentant" is more general and can be used in everyday situations.

Substitution

You can replace "penitent" with:

• regretful (more general, less formal)
• remorseful (strong feeling of guilt)
• repentant (similar meaning, often religious)
• sorry (simple and informal)

Changing the word can make the sentence more or less formal or emotional.

Deconstruction

• Root: From Latin "paenitens," meaning "feeling regret."
• Prefix: None
• Suffix: "-ent," which is used to form adjectives or nouns meaning "having the quality of."

So, "penitent" literally means "having the quality of regret."

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when you felt penitent about something you did?
• How would you show that you are penitent in a conversation?
• Do you think being penitent is important for improving relationships? Why or why not?