What does contrite mean?
Word: Contrite
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Contrite means deeply sorry for something wrong you have done and wanting to put it right.
Synonyms: remorseful
How do you spell contrite?
Syllables: con - trite
Tricky part: The long i sound at the end is spelt i with a silent e after the t. Pupils sometimes write contright or contrait.
Watch out for: contright, contrait
Memory tip: Bite your lip after a mistake, and keep the ite of bite for contrite.
Contrite in a sentence
Example 1: A contrite Rohan wrote a note to say he should have listened.
Example 2: She looked so contrite that her brother forgave her at once.
Example 3: The boys were contrite about the broken pot and offered to buy a new one.
Fun Fact
Its Latin source meant ground down, so a contrite person is pictured as someone whose pride has been worn away.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
c_n_rite
a) o, t
b) a, t
c) e, t
d) o, d
Show answer
a) o, t. It opens with con, as in contest, and a hard consonant starts the next beat.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
A ticnetor Dev offered to repaint the fence he had splashed with mud.
a) contract
b) contrite
c) contrive
d) concrete
Show answer
b) contrite. The jumble has two t's and an i, with no v, a or second c.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word contrite as used in the sentence:
Looking contrite, Mira handed back the library book she had kept for months.
a) stubborn
b) careless
c) cheerful
d) apologetic
Show answer
d) apologetic. Mira's face shows she knows she was wrong; apologetic fits.
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly and one is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. regret 2. contrite 3. forgivness 4. remorse
a) a strong sense of guilt and sadness
b) feeling very bad about what you did
c) a wish that you had acted differently
d) the act of no longer being annoyed with someone
Show answer
d) the act of no longer being annoyed with someone. Forgiveness keeps the e of forgive before ness.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these remarks sounds contrite?
a) I should not have done that, and I will mend it.
b) Everyone does it, so why blame me?
c) It was not my fault at all.
d) I would do the same thing again.
Show answer
a) I should not have done that, and I will mend it.
2. A contrite pupil stays back after class. What is she most likely to do?
a) borrow a novel from the teacher
b) complain about her classmates
c) own up and ask to make amends
d) ask for extra marks on a test
Show answer
c) own up and ask to make amends
