Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Moral anguish arising from repentance for past misdeeds; bitter regret. synonym: penitence.
  • noun Obsolete Compassion.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Intense and painful regret due to a consciousness of guilt; the pain of a guilty conscience; deep regret with self-condemnation.
  • noun Sympathetic sorrow; pity; compassion.
  • noun Synonyms Compunction, Regret, etc. (see repentance), self-reproach, self-condemnation, anguish, stings of conscience.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The anguish, like gnawing pain, excited by a sense of guilt; compunction of conscience for a crime committed, or for the sins of one's past life.
  • noun Sympathetic sorrow; pity; compassion.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning.
  • noun obsolete Sorrow; pity; compassion.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English remors, from Old French, from Medieval Latin remorsum, from neuter past participle of Latin remordēre, to torment : re-, re- + mordēre, to bite; see mer- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

First attested circa 14th century, from Old French remors, from Medieval Latin remorsum, from Latin remordeō ("I torment, I vex,", literally "I bite back") from re- + mordeō ("I bite").

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Examples

  • The reason that FNC is doing so well while some committed-left media operations are failing is what I call the remorse factor.

    unknown title 2009

  • Throw in Selleck, and "no remorse" is the least of it.

    Tom Selleck, 'Jesse Stone' keep doing what they do best 2010

  • Oscar, the definition of remorse is "a gnawing distress arising from a sense of guilt for past wrongs".

    Page 3 2010

  • The appropriate action to show your remorse is resignation. vs

    South Carolina governor apologizes to Cabinet 2009

  • He probably doesn't need any jail time - his remorse is likely more than he can bear.

    On Hunting Accidents and Jail Time 2009

  • Oscar, the definition of remorse is "a gnawing distress arising from a sense of guilt for past wrongs".

    Page 3 2010

  • The whole voice mail was clearly a product of the kind of uncorked rage that always ends in remorse and sorrow, but it was not entirely witless.

    The Passion of Alec Baldwin 2009

  • Oscar, the definition of remorse is "a gnawing distress arising from a sense of guilt for past wrongs".

    Page 3 2010

  • The whole voice mail was clearly a product of the kind of uncorked rage that always ends in remorse and sorrow, but it was not entirely witless.

    The Passion of Alec Baldwin 2009

  • He probably doesn't need any jail time - his remorse is likely more than he can bear.

    On Hunting Accidents and Jail Time 2009

Comments

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  • Remorse is such a graceful, beautiful word yet it describes something so vicious and biting.

    June 19, 2011

  • a code for morse, perhaps dah di dah di dah dah di dah

    June 19, 2011

  • I accept that your remorse is genuine, the judge said.

    January 21, 2014

  • Man. That GNU Webster's definition is something I'd have expected from the Century: "The anguish, like gnawing pain, excited by a sense of guilt; compunction of conscience for a crime committed, or for the sins of one's past life."

    January 12, 2018