repent
Definitions
To feel sincere regret or remorse for one's wrongdoing or sin.
悔恨，忏悔，悔改。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedre- (intensive) + Latin paenitēre 'to feel regret,' a verb tied to poena (penalty). To repent is to charge yourself the inner penalty of guilt. Unlike punish, where the price comes from outside, repentance is the conscience collecting from itself.
Root pun still carries 33 more wordsWhy It Means This
Repent ties the punishment root to the inner world. The same poena that became external penalty and physical pain here becomes moral pain: regret that bites from within. That is why repent carries a formal, often religious weight — it is not casual 'oops,' but a reckoning with one's own conscience.
Usage Guide
- repent of one's sins — the standard construction; you repent OF something
- repent + bare object (repent your actions) — also valid but more literary/archaic
- Register: formal, often religious; in everyday speech 'regret' is the neutral choice
- Contrast: 'I regret buying it' (mild) vs 'he repented his cruelty' (moral, heavy)
Example Sentences
- 1.
The priest urged the crowd to repent and change their ways.
- 2.
He bitterly repented of the words he had said in anger.
- 3.
She lived to repent her hasty decision.
Easily Confused
repent vs regret — Regret is broad and neutral: you can regret a purchase or a typo. Repent is moral and weighty: it implies a sin or serious wrong and a turning away from it. You regret missing a train; you repent betraying a friend.