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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.

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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 Vatican said on Thursday: "The sacred ministers of the Society of St Pius X administer the sacraments illicitly, while the sacrament of penance they administer and the marriages they witness are invalid."

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

Starting in the fourth century, pilgrimages were served up by the church as a way for Christians to pay penance for their sins.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2026

The reader is invited to follow her often frightening pursuit of spiritual penance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026

She said her penance using her mother-of-pearl rosary to keep count of the prayers.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith


Vocabulary lists containing penance

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