con·trite

[kuhn-trahyt, kon-trahyt]
adjective
1.
caused by or showing sincere remorse.
2.
filled with a sense of guilt and the desire for atonement; penitent: a contrite sinner.

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English contrit (< Anglo-French) < Latin contrītus worn down, crushed, past participle of conterere. See con-, trite

con·trite·ly, adverb
con·trite·ness, noun
o·ver·con·trite, adjective
o·ver·con·trite·ly, adverb
o·ver·con·trite·ness, noun
un·con·trite, adjective


2. rueful, remorseful, repentant.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Contrite is a GRE word you need to know.
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lying down; reclining; leaning.
ostentatious in one's learning
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World English Dictionary
contrite (kənˈtraɪt, ˈkɒntraɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  full of guilt or regret; remorseful
2.  arising from a sense of shame or guilt: contrite promises
3.  theol remorseful for past sin and resolved to avoid future sin
 
[C14: from Latin contrītus worn out, from conterere to bruise, from terere to grind]
 
con'tritely
 
adv
 
con'triteness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

contrite
c.1300 (contrition), from L. contritus, lit. "worn out, ground to pieces," pp. of L. conterere "to grind," from com- "together" + terere "to rub" (see throw). Related: Contritely (1829).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
After inmates submit and act contrite, they are often again treated kindly.
Under cross-examination he came across as pushy and even indignant, rather than
  contrite.
She may, in fact, get away with a warning if she seems contrite and/or
  genuinely confused.
Although her contrite parent decides to let her make the attempt, the going
  isn't smooth until she wins a contest in a night club.
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