contrite
adjective
Renata AdlerCathy Booth Thomas
Did you know?
A person who is contrite may have rubbed someone the wrong way and caused bruised feelings—and there is a hint about the origins of the word in that thought. Contrite came to English by way of Anglo-French from the Latin verb conterere, meaning "to grind" or "to bruise." Conterere, in turn, was formed by combining the prefix com-, meaning "with" or "together," and terere, "to rub." If you've guessed that trite is a cousin of contrite (through terere), you are correct. Other terere descendants in English include detriment and very possibly the familiar verb try.
Synonyms
Examples of contrite in a Sentence
Christopher Cooper &Robert Block, Disaster, 2006
… Teddy was immediately contrite. "That was stupid of me. Forgive me."
—Jack Higgins, The President's Daughter, 1998
At the airport, the meter registers nine pounds, and of course he had said six or seven. I have a sense now of his feeling somewhat contrite, or perhaps only abashed.
—Renata Adler, Pitch Dark, 1983
… for days afterward, afraid of himself and worried about his sanity, he would be contrite and terribly ashamed.
—John Nichols, The Milagro Beanfield War, 1974
being contrite is not enough to spare you an arrest if you're caught shoplifting
Brett Berk, Robb Report, 22 Oct. 2024
In Tuesday’s contrite letter to investors, Jun promised Samsung would address these and other issues head-on.
—Greg McKenna, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2024
According to a report from Autosport, Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali issued a contrite apology to the teams in the aftermath.
—Dan Cancian, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024
Only one of the officers has been sentenced: a former community service officer named Samantha Peterson, who avoided jail time after reading a contrite statement in court.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 31 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for contrite 
Dictionary Entries Near contrite
Cite this Entry
“Contrite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contrite. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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contrite
adjective
kən-ˈtrīt
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