remorse
- 01 C2 Proficiency
n.a feeling of pity or sadness for someone else.
n.a sense of compassion or pity toward others.
Simple“The king showed no remorse for the suffering of his people.”
In context“In the ancient tragedy, the conqueror was depicted as a man without remorse, unmoved by the pleas of the defeated.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is rarely found in modern conversation; learners will mostly encounter it in classical literature or historical texts.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C2 Proficiency
v.to feel very sorry or regretful about something.
v.to experience or express regret or sorrow; functions as an intransitive verb.
Simple“He began to remorse after realizing the pain he had caused.”
In context“Though he might remorse in private, his public persona remained cold and unyielding to criticism.”
UsageThe verb form is intransitive and rarely used in contemporary English.
“A man who stole a ceremonial gong for cancer patients at a Kitchener hospital has expressed his remorse at his sentencing on Wednesday.”
“He said his conduct had been good in jail and expressed remorse for his actions.”
First attested circa 14th century as Middle English remors, from Old French remors, from Medieval Latin remorsus, from Latin remordeō (“to torment, vex”, literally “to bite back”), from re- + mordeō (“to bite”). More at remord.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.