29
regretful(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorrowful, sorry)
28
sorry(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorrowful, regret)
26
remorseful(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorrowful, sorry)
26
repentant(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorrowful, sorry)
23
contrite(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorrowful, sorry)
21
apologetic(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorrowful, sorry)
16
rueful(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorrowful, sorry)
14
ashamed(adjective, remorseful, regretting)
10
conscience-stricken(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorrowful, penitence)
10
penitential(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorrowful, regret)
10
sorrowful(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorry, apologetic)
8
compunctious(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorrowful, sorry)
8
guilty
7
sad(adjective, unhappy, sorry, apologetic)
5
bad(adjective, sad, unhappy, apologetic)
4
abject(adjective, sorrowful, shamed)
4
prodigal son(noun, expression, idiom, child, penitence)
4
sheepish
3
atoning(adjective, sorrowful, sorry, shamed, repentant)
3
embarrassed
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APASmart Define. (2015). penitent thesaurus. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from https://smartdefine.org/penitent/thesaurus/synonyms
ChicagoSmart Define. 2015. "penitent thesaurus" https://smartdefine.org/penitent/thesaurus/synonyms (accessed September 21, 2026).
HarvardSmart Define 2015, penitent thesaurus, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <https://smartdefine.org/penitent/thesaurus/synonyms>.
MLASmart Define. "penitent thesaurus" 14 April 2015. Web. 21 September 2026. <https://smartdefine.org/penitent/thesaurus/synonyms>