contrite
contrite — 形容詞
- contritepositive
- more contritecomparative
- most contritesuperlative
1. feeling genuine sadness and shame after doing something wrong, together with a s
懊悔的
為做錯事深感後悔與自責的
feeling genuine sadness and shame after doing something wrong, together with a sincere wish to make things right again.
Kwame wrote a contrite letter to his grandmother after he broke her favorite vase.
Kwame 打破外婆最喜歡的花瓶後，寫了一封充滿懊悔的信給她。
contrite + letter — expressing remorse through action
The CEO felt deeply contrite about the data breach that exposed millions of users.
這位執行長對於洩露數百萬用戶資料的資安事件，感到深深的懊悔。
deeply contrite about [something]
Amara offered a contrite smile as she returned the library book two weeks overdue.
Amara 逾期兩週才歸還圖書館的書，她露出了歉疚的笑容。
contrite smile — showing remorse through facial expression
Jamal was genuinely contrite that his careless words had hurt a close colleague.
Jamal 對於自己一時失言傷害了親近的同事，感到真誠的懊悔。
contrite + that-clause expressing cause of remorse
Finn has written several contrite emails to the project team trying to make amends.
Finn 寫了好幾封道歉信給專案團隊，試圖彌補自己的過錯。
- feel contrite
- deeply / genuinely / truly contrite
- a contrite apology / letter / statement / smile
- contrite about [something]
- contrite for [doing something]
- remorseful
Similar intensity but more emotional — focuses on the painful ache of guilt rather than the desire to fix things.
- repentant
Emphasizes a decision to change future behavior; often carries religious overtones.
- apologetic
More general and often less intense — can describe a polite 'sorry' without deep shame.
- unrepentant
Feeling no regret or shame for wrongdoing.
- defiant
Openly refusing to accept blame or show remorse.
文法句型
be contrite about [something]
be contrite for [doing something]
be contrite + that-clause
用法筆記
Frequently used in formal or written contexts — a contrite person does not just say sorry but feels the weight of their wrongdoing. Compare with sense 1 of 'apologetic', which can describe a more routine or polite expression of regret.
常見錯誤
同根字
- contritely副詞C1
- contrition名詞C1