contrition

Noun

contrition (countable and uncountable, plural contritions)

1. The state of being contrite; sincere penitence or remorse.
   • Marianne heard enough. In one moment her imagination placed before her a letter from Willoughby, full of tenderness and contrition, explanatory of all that had passed, satisfactory, convincing; and instantly followed by Willoughby himself, rushing eagerly into the room to inforce, at her feet, by...1811, [Jane Austen], chapter 31, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume III, London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC
   • Jonathan's mother told Grace on a recent phone call that Jonathan showed no sign of remorse or contrition for his own sister's passing.2020 November 30, Erica Gonzales, “'The Undoing' Viewers Are Trolling Their Finale Theories”, in Harper's Bazaar

   Synonyms:

   agenbite, remorse, rue, ruth, compunction, guilt, penitence, repentance, self-reproach, sorriness

2. (obsolete) The act of grinding or rubbing to powder.

   Synonyms:

   attrition, friction, rubbing