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Penitent vs Expiate - What's the difference?

penitent | expiate |

As an adjective penitent

is penitent.

As a noun penitent

is penitent.

As a verb expiate is

(transitive|or|intransitive) to atone or make reparation for.

penitent

English

Alternative forms

* (archaic) * (qualifier)

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Feeling pain or sorrow on account of sins or offenses; repentant; contrite; sincerely affected by a sense of guilt, and resolved on amendment of life.
  • * 1838 , , (The Anatomy of Melancholy) , B. Blake, p.730,
    • If thou be penitent and grieved, or desirous to be so, these heinous sins shall not be laid to thy charge.
  • * Milton
    • Be penitent , and for thy fault contrite.
  • Doing penance.
    • (Shakespeare)

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One who repents of sin; one sorrowful on account of his or her transgressions.
  • One under church censure, but admitted to penance; one undergoing penance.
  • * 1837 , William Russell, The History of Modern Europe: with an Account of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire , Longman, Rees, & Co., page 20,
    • Wamba, who defeated the Saracens in an attempt upon Spain, was deprived of the crown, because he had been clothed in the habit of a penitent , while labouring under the influence of poison, administered by the ambitious Erviga!
  • One under the direction of a confessor.

    • Synonyms

    * penaunt

    Related terms

    * pen * penance * penitence * penitentiary * repent * repentance * repentant

    External links

    * * *

    expiate

    English

    Verb

  • (transitive, or, intransitive) To atone or make reparation for.
  • * Clarendon
    • The Treasurer obliged himself to expiate the injury.
  • * 1888 , Leo XIII, "",
    • Thus those pious souls who expiate the remainder of their sins amidst such tortures will receive a special and opportune consolation,
  • * 1913 , ,
    • I am going out to expiate a great wrong, Paul. A very necessary feature of the expiation is the marksmanship of my opponent.
  • To make amends or pay the penalty for.
  • * 1876 , ,
    • He had only to live and expiate in solitude the crimes which he had committed.
  • (obsolete) To relieve or cleanse of guilt.
  • * 1829 , , Larcher's Notes on Herodotus , vol. 2, p. 195,
    • and Epimenides was brought from Crete to expiate the city.
  • To purify with sacred rites.
  • * Bible, Deuteronomy xviii. 10 (Douay version)
    • Neither let there be found among you any one that shall expiate his son or daughter, making them to pass through the fire.

    Usage notes

    Intransitive use, constructed with (for) (like (atone)), is obsolete in Christian usage, but fairly common in informal discussions of Islam.

    Related terms

    * expiation * expiator * expiatory ----