Remorses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Feelings of deep regret or guilt over past actions causing emotional discomfort ; A painful awareness of having committed a wrong or offense and wishing to make amends ; The psychological experience of sorrow and self-reproach related to misconduct or mistakes
2. Emotional distress resulting from recognizing one's own misdeeds and the wish to undo them ; The sensation of guilt that accompanies wrongdoing and prompts repentance ; A state of conscience troubled by past errors and the desire for forgiveness or correction
3. The inner turmoil caused by acknowledging harmful actions and wishing to rectify them ; Feeling sorrow and guilt linked to ethical lapses or errors in judgment ; The mental anguish experienced in response to perceived personal failings and the longing for absolution

Etymology: Remorses is simply the plural of "remorse," so the history below belongs to the singular noun. Remorse entered English in the 14th century as "remors," borrowed through Old French from the Medieval Latin "remorsus," which came from the Latin verb "remordeō," meaning "to torment" or, more literally, "to bite back." That literal sense is the surprising part. The image behind the word is of something gnawing at a person from within, a conscience that bites. Latin "remordeō" joined "re-," meaning "again" or "back," with "mordeō," "to bite," the same root that gives English "mordant" and "morsel." The plural form "remorses" is used less often than the singular, and it generally refers to separate instances of this inner anguish rather than a different meaning.

Synonyms: regrets, guilt, contrition, repentance, sorrow

Antonyms: indifference, remorselessness, unconcern, callousness, apathy