| Penitential 1. (a.) Pertaining to penitence or expressing penitence; as, the penitential book; penitential tears. 2. (n.) A book formerly used by priests hearing confessions, containing rules for the imposition of penances; -- called also penitential book. Thesaurus Entries abject, amendatory, apologetic, ascetic, atoning, balancing, cleansing, compensating, compensational, compensatory, compunctious, contrite, counteracting, counteractive, counterbalancing, countervailing, expiatory, humble, humbled, indemnificatory, lustral, lustrational, lustrative, melted, offsetting, penitent, penitentiary, piacular, propitiatory, purgative, purgatorial, purifying, reclamatory, recompensing, recompensive, rectifying, redeeming, redemptive, redressing, regretful, reparative, reparatory, repentant, repenting, restitutional, restitutive, restitutory, retaliatory, righting, satisfactional, sheepish, softened, sorry, squaring, touched |