penance

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.

As if doing penance for the past, all four of the film’s stars are associated with superhero franchises.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

“If anything he had some kind of remorse and was on his penance campaign. Part of resolving himself was helping with noble endeavors,” Tramo said.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2026

A cold-weather salad wants heat at its core, something warm enough to soften the greens and make the whole bowl feel like actual food rather than penance.

From Salon • Dec. 16, 2025

Mr Sloan said he later built the cathedral at Inch Abbey as "an act of penance" and made that into a Cistercian monastery.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2025

The other was like a chunk of burnt pine-log he was carrying along as a penance for some obscure sin.

From "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury