Search Result for "contrition": 
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (1)

1. sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation;
[syn: attrition, contrition, contriteness]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Contrition \Con*tri"tion\, n. [F. contrition, L. contritio.] 1. The act of grinding or ribbing to powder; attrition; friction; rubbing. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] The breaking of their parts into less parts by contrition. --Sir I. Newton. [1913 Webster] 2. The state of being contrite; deep sorrow and repentance for sin, because sin is displeasing to God; humble penitence; through repentance. [1913 Webster] My future days shall be one whole contrition. --Dryden. Syn: repentance; penitence; humiliation; compunction; self-reproach; remorse. Usage: Contrition, Attrition, repentance. -- Contrition is deep sorrow and self-condemnation, with through repetance for sin because it is displeasing to God, and implies a feeling of love toward God. Attrition is sorrow for sin, or imperfect repentance produced by fear of punishment or a sense of the baseness of sin. Repentance is a penitent renunciation of, and turning from, sin; thorough repentance produces a new life. Repentance is often used as synonymous with contrition. See Compunction. [1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

contrition n 1: sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation [syn: attrition, contrition, contriteness]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

35 Moby Thesaurus words for "contrition": abject apology, acknowledgment, apologies, apology, attrition, ayenbite of inwit, bitterness, breast-beating, compunction, confession, contriteness, excuse, grief, mea culpa, penance, penitence, penitently, regret, regretfulness, regrets, regretting, remorse, remorse of conscience, remorsefulness, repentance, repining, rue, ruth, shame, shamefacedness, shamefastness, shamefulness, sorriness, sorrow, wistfulness