Meanings
nounrepentance (countable and uncountable, plural repentances)
plural repentances · alternative obsolete repentaunce
- countableuncountableThe action of repenting, an instance of it, atonement.
Christine Cooper: It's not wrong to sin. Christ came into this world for the sinners. DCI Tom Barnaby: To call people to repentance, Mrs Cooper.
1999 September 12, Anthony Horowitz et al., “Dead Man's Eleven”, in Midsomer Murders - countableuncountableThe condition of being repentant, penitent, a state of feeling regret or remorse for having done wrong.
1678, Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress, second period God hath denied me repentance. His words gives me no encouragement to believe.
1 more example
And here, shipmates, is true and faithful repentance; not clamorous for pardon, but grateful for punishment.
1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chapter 6
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Frenchrepentance
- Middle Englishrepentance, repentaunce
- Englishrepentance
First attested circa 14th century, from Middle English repentance, repentaunce, from Old French repentance. More at repent. By surface analysis, repent + -ance.
More words from Middle English, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek μετάνοια
- μετάνοια (metánoia)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Arabic تَوْبَة
- تَوْبَة (tawba)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Bulgarian разка́яние, покая́ние
- разка́яние (razkájanie)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- покая́ние (pokajánie)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Catalan penediment
- penedimentcondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Chinese Mandarin 懺悔 /忏悔, 悔改
- 懺悔 /忏悔 (chànhuǐ)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- 悔改 (huǐgǎi)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- 悔恨 (huǐhèn)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- 悔悟 (huǐwù)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- 後悔 /后悔 (hòuhuǐ)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- 懊悔 (àohuǐ)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Czech lítost, pokání
- lítostcondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- pokánícondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Danish anger
- angercondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Dutch berouw, penitentie
- berouwcondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- penitentiecondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Finnish tunnontuska, tunnonvaiva
- tunnontuskacondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- tunnonvaivacondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- katumuscondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
French repentance, repentir
- repentancecondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- repentircondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
German Reue
- Reuecondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Hindi पछतावा, पश्चात्ताप
- पछतावा (pachtāvā)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- पश्चात्ताप (paścāttāp)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Hungarian bűnbánat, bűntudat
- bűnbánatcondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- bűntudatcondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- megbánáscondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- lelkifurdaláscondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- lelkiismeret-furdaláscondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Irish aithrí
- aithrícondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Italian pentimento, rimorso
- pentimentocondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- rimorsocondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Japanese 懺悔, 懺悔
- 懺悔 (zange)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- 懺悔 (sange)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- 悔悟 (kaigo)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- 後悔 (kōkai)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Korean 회개, 후회
- 회개 (hoegae)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- 후회 (huhoe)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- 회오 (hoe'o)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Malay taubat
- taubatcondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Modern Greek μεταμέλεια, μετάνοια
- μεταμέλεια (metaméleia)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- μετάνοια (metánoia)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Māori rīpenetātanga
- rīpenetātangacondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Persian پشیمانی, توبه
- پشیمانی (pašimâni)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- توبه (towbe)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Polish skrucha
- skruchacondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Portuguese arrependimento
- arrependimentocondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Russian раска́яние, покая́ние
- раска́яние (raskájanije)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- покая́ние (pokajánije)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Slovak ľútosť, pokánie
- ľútosťcondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- pokániecondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- kajúcnosťcondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Spanish arrepentimiento
- arrepentimientocondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Swahili kitubio
- kitubiocondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Swedish ånger, ruelse
- ångercondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- ruelsecondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Turkish tövbe
- tövbecondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Ukrainian каяття́, покая́ння
- каяття́ (kajattjá)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- покая́ння (pokajánnja)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- ка́яння (kájannja)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
- розка́яння (rozkájannja)condition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Vietnamese ăn năn
- ăn năncondition of being repentant, penitent, feeling remorse
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
repentance. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/repentance
MLA
“repentance.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/repentance. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “repentance,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/repentance.
Source: repentance on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.