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{%type%} Definitions

WordNet 3.0Copyright Princeton University
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Short "hint"

Punishment or self-discipline to which one voluntarily submits to show regret for having done something wrong.

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Usage examples (31)
  • But penance need not be paid in suffering...It can be paid in forward motion.
  • I'd cut my hands off in penance, but I need them to climb.
  • The beauty of penance is that it makes you feel uncomfortable.
  • And her penance is merciless: she must find a way to lure her former socialite friends into the tofu tenement she has been reduced to.
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The Open Dictionary of English is a collaborative project, based on Open Source materials, LearnThat resources, and partner APIs.
We give special thanks to our LearnThat volunteers, as well as Princeton University and Wiktionary for their Open Source word data. We're also grateful for the support given by Google, Wordnik.com, Dictionary.com, Stands4.com and YouTube, OEDILF.com, Kylescholz.com, Best-Practice.com, Forvo.com, as well as the generous Creative Commons community.