What does remorse mean?
Remorse is a strong feeling of guilt and inward regret brought on by something a person has done, particularly an act that causes harm, betrays another person's trust, or violates deeply held moral standards. It implies more than simple disappointment: remorse presents the past action as morally serious and often suggests a wish to make amends or change behavior. The word is especially associated with serious wrongdoing, confession, forgiveness, and moral responsibility, although it also has a religious use for regret over sin. In ordinary speech, remorse is normally uncountable, as in expressions such as deep remorse or a sense of remorse. Its force comes from the way it joins emotion and ethics: it does not merely regret an outcome, but struggles with the person’s responsibility for it. Remorse is consequently useful when describing the painful awareness that follows a breach of trust, an injustice, or an act of cruelty.
nounA deep feeling of guilt and regret arising from having done something wrong, especially something harmful or morally objectionable.
- The deep emotional and moral distress felt because of wrongdoing, especially when the act has harmed another person or violated one's own values.
"Years later, the weight of his betrayal filled him with remorse."
"He accepted full responsibility for the error and expressed genuine remorse to those affected."
"Her public statement combined remorse for the harm with a detailed account of the changes she intended to make."
Rare; remorse is normally used as an uncountable noun.
"The novel traces the characters' remorses as the consequences of their choices become clear."
Remorse gets its name from a Latin image of being bitten back: the inward sting of wrongdoing.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does remorse come from?
The word entered English in the late Middle English period through Old French, from Latin remorsus, a past participle of remordere. Remordere combined re-, meaning back, with mordere, meaning to bite, and the image of being bitten or gnawed back expresses the inward distress caused by wrongdoing. Related English words such as remorseless come from the same Latin root, while mordant and mordacious also ultimately derive from mordere.
Related word forms
How remorse is actually used
Remorse is a formal and morally weighty word. It is more specific than regret, which can describe disappointment without wrongdoing, and it has religious associations when used of repentance for sin. The noun is normally uncountable; the plural remorses is uncommon.
Easily confused with remorse
Regret can concern any undesirable outcome or lost opportunity, whereas remorse specifically implies guilt about wrongdoing or moral responsibility.