How to Use contrition in a Sentence

contrition

noun
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  • Were her tears a true sign of contrition?
  • Sunak dropped his attempts at contrition and became tetchy and confrontational instead.
    — Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 29 June 2024
  • Don’t leave him out of the contrition portion of this episode.
    — Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2022
  • Trump, of course, shows no sign of contrition or self-doubt.
    — David Remnick, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2019
  • The day started with a new note of contrition from Ms Lam.
    — The Economist, 30 June 2019
  • Hence the demand for still more heartfelt acts of contrition, and on and on.
    — Ian Buruma, Harper's Magazine, 2 June 2023
  • At each step, Japan's leaders have faced a choice over whether or not to show contrition.
    — Yuri Kageyama, Star Tribune, 9 Aug. 2020
  • Yes, and the problem is that even after the mistake is made, there is no contrition.
    — Fox News, 3 June 2018
  • As is his nature, Trump didn’t show any sign of contrition.
    — Philip Elliott, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024
  • Probably not so smart when the fan base wants to see contrition.
    — Eric Bolin, ajc, 18 Nov. 2017
  • Gale, a neighborhood dad, shows up to Love’s bakery with a heart full of contrition: His twin girls had the measles.
    — Jessica Goldstein, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2021
  • Alomar did not speak to Clevinger and Plesac, but was told both showed contrition.
    — Tom Withers, Star Tribune, 25 Aug. 2020
  • To them, Burrows’ defense of the meeting on the radio did not show contrition.
    — James Barragán, Dallas News, 11 Dec. 2020
  • But can there be too much contrition from those who were complicit with the Nazis, and is there such a thing as too much atonement?
    — Martin Filler, The New York Review of Books, 1 July 2021
  • Some in the sport will not buy Miller’s explanations or signs of contrition.
    — Bryce Millercolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 July 2022
  • And Jimmy’s pitch isn’t based on the usual theater of contrition.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Oct. 2021
  • Its theme was the need for humility and contrition on the part of the country's pollsters and pundits.
    — Damon Linker, TheWeek, 4 Nov. 2020
  • The postgame news conference acts a form of contrition for Campbell.
    — Carlos Monarrez, USA TODAY, 10 Oct. 2022
  • Wallen showed contrition, and less than two months later the show re-invited him.
    — Ben Flanagan | [email protected], al, 5 Dec. 2020
  • Gone was the humbled contrition that followed the scandal, when most of his fellow Democrats called on him to resign.
    — Washington Post, 20 Aug. 2019
  • Frank Russo showed contrition in the end and ended up with a shorter sentence.
    — Laura Johnston, cleveland, 23 June 2022
  • Drinkman did not make a public statement of contrition.
    — Sam Wood, Philly.com, 14 Feb. 2018
  • What Beard probably needs to do next is take steps to show contrition, something that has been lacking so far.
    — Dallas News, 15 Feb. 2023
  • Royal experts said there was a welcome, if overdue, show of contrition in the statement issued by lawyers for the prince.
    — Mark Landler, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Feb. 2022
  • But the proper approach, obvious to many, was to show some contrition.
    — Matt Ford, The New Republic, 10 July 2019
  • The tome provoked Cousy to reflect on his own views on race and inspired him to pen a letter of contrition to his long-ago teammate Bill Russell.
    — Dan Shaughnessy, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Aug. 2019
  • That, coupled with the team's perceived lack of contrition, has drawn ire from MLB players and the general public alike.
    — Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2020
  • He should be offered forgiveness and be able to move on with his life and career, after his contrition.
    — William Lee, chicagotribune.com, 10 Dec. 2021
  • But if gaming is your religion, the purchase of Nvidia’s 8800 GTX is merely an act of contrition.
    — Daniel Dumas, WIRED, 19 July 2007
  • In the filing, prosecutor Kari Morrissey asked that she be sentenced to the maximum — 18 months — and said that the recorded calls show her lack of contrition.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 13 Apr. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'contrition.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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