contrite
kun-TRITEadjMeaning truly sorry for having done wrong
Memory hook con-TRITE: CRUSHED with sorry. After chewing Dad’s slipper to bits, Rufus creeps over with his ears down and lays it at Dad’s feet; the crushed, sorry pup is contrite.
The contrite puppy crept out from under the table after chewing Dad’s slipper.
In context At first Dev insisted the broken window was not his fault, but by dinner he was contrite, offering to pay for the glass from his own savings.
Similar sorry, remorseful, repentant, regretful
Opposite unrepentant, defiant, shameless
From Latin contritus, “crushed,” from conterere (to grind, to crush): a contrite person feels crushed by guilt.