remorseful
rih-MORS-fuhl
/rɪˈmɔːrsfʊl/
Filled with acute sorrow or guilt for past wrongdoings.
Focuses on the painful mental gnawing or biting conscience following a bad action.
The story behind the word. Remorseful comes from Medieval Latin 'remorsus', the past participle of 'remordere', meaning 'to bite again'. It vividly depicts conscience as an internal animal that keeps biting at your soul long after the act is committed.
Word relationships
- guilt-ridden: Guilt-ridden suggests being consumed or burdened by guilt, whereas remorseful stresses active feelings of sorrow and regret.
- remorseless: Remorseless describes someone devoid of pity, guilt, or regret.
Commonly confused with
- reposeful: Reposeful means calm and peaceful, exact opposite of remorseful.
Word family
- remorse (noun): deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed
- remorselessly (adverb): without regret or mercy
Collocations
- remorseful tears
- remorseful statement
- deeply remorseful
Example sentences
- "He was deeply remorseful for hurting his friend's feelings during their heated argument." Personal reconciliation
Memory hook
RE-MORSE-ful: Regret bites again and again like a 're-morsel' of bad food. Conscience biting you again and again.
When not to use
Avoid using for simple sadness about bad luck where no fault is attributed.
Fun facts
- In Middle English, remorse was literally called 'the biting of conscience' (Ayenbite of Inwyt).
Related words
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