penitents's Usage Examples:

Those, then, who had to hear penitents unburden their souls were driven to the use of Roman writers on the subject.

At the beginning of the 4th century a system came into use by which penitents undergoing discipline were divided into four grades, the lowest being the mourners, then the hearers, the kneelers and the consistentes (standing).

Eighteenth-century Italy looked on religion with apathetic indifference, and Liguori convinced himself that only the gentlest and most lenient treatment could win back the alienated laity; hence he was always willing to excuse errors on the side of laxity as due to an excess of zeal in winning over penitents.

their subjects are faith, love, fasting, prayer, wars (a somewhat mysterious setting forth of the conflict between Rome and Persia under the imagery of Daniel), the sons of the covenant (monks or ascetics), penitents, the resurrection, humility, pastors.

They were penitents, and no doubt imbued with the ancient belief that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.

Mere Angelique Arnaud, who at this time put herself under his direction and wished to join the Order of the Visitation, attracted by its humility and sweetness, may be named as the most interesting of his innumerable penitents of this period.

They could be added to the satisfactions actually done by penitents.

As for most penitents, all they cared for was to scrape through by the skin of their teeth.

The less the Church could expect from its penitents, the more it was driven to trust to the miraculous efficiency of sacramental grace.

While I had no direct evidence the attendees were all registered sex offenders, the way they nodded and agreed at the mention of deviant sexual behavior made me feel I might be unique among like penitents.

Synonyms:

ruthful, penitential, sorry, repentant, regretful, contrite, penitentiary, rueful, remorseful, bad, ashamed,

Antonyms:

best, unregretful, impenitent, unashamed, unrepentant,