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“Penitence” or “Penitents”

penitence / penitents are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term.

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Definitions

What each term means

Same sound, different spellings and meanings, shown with a pronunciation guide for each term.

penitence

No dictionary entry for this spelling — see the usage examples below for how it shows up in writing.

penitents

  • noun(Roman Catholic Church) a person who repents for wrongdoing (a Roman Catholic may be admitted to penance under the direction of a confessor).
Usage

Examples in context

Real sentences for each spelling. Hover an example to copy it.

“penitence”

  • …sacraments, especially the sacrament of penitence, and on the preaching"
  • …Mary Magdalen, undergo experiences of penitence and repentance for their sin.

“penitents”

  • …servant of the Word" forgives penitents' sins (speaks Christ's words of…
  • …and the penitent's request for forgiveness.
  • V. Be dædbetan (“For penitents”), further instructions for the confessor,…

Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions are drawn from WordNet.

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