repentant(形容词):悔悟的;悔改的;感到懊悔并愿意改正的。(常用于描述对错误或罪过的真诚后悔与改过态度。)
/ˈrɪˌpɛn.tənt/
He looked repentant after breaking the vase.
他打碎花瓶后看起来很懊悔。
Though he had denied it at first, he later wrote a repentant letter, admitting the harm he had caused and promising to change.
尽管他起初否认,但后来写了一封悔悟的信,承认自己造成的伤害并承诺改正。
repentant 来自 repent(悔改、懊悔)加形容词后缀 -ant(表示“……的状态/倾向”)。repent 追溯到拉丁语 paenitēre(感到后悔、懊恼),与“惩罚/补偿”的观念也有历史关联,因此 repentant 往往带有“认识到过错并希望弥补”的意味。