Meaning and Definition on 'Remorseful'

Remorseful adj : feeling or expressing pain or sorrow for sins or offenses [syn: contrite, rueful, ruthful, sorry] 

Remorseful \Re*morse"ful\ (-m?rs"f?l), a.
1. Full of remorse. The full tide of remorseful passion had abated. --Sir W. Scott.
2. Compassionate; feeling tenderly. [Obs.] --Shak.
3. Exciting pity; pitiable. [Obs.] --Chapman. -- Re*morse"ful*ly, adv. -- Re*morse"ful*ness, n.

Remorse is an emotional expression of personal regret felt by a person after he or she has committed an act which they deem to be shameful, hurtful, or violent. Remorse is closely allied to guilt and self-directed resentment. When a person regrets an earlier action or failure to act, it may be because of remorse or in response to various other consequences, including being punished for the act or omission. In a legal context, the perceived remorse of an offender is assessed by Western justice systems during trials, sentencing, parole hearings, and in restorative justice. However, it has been pointed out that epistemological problems arise in assessing an offender's level of remorse.

A person who is incapable of feeling remorse is often labeled a sociopath (US) or psychopath (UK) - formerly a DSM III condition. In general, a person needs to be unable to feel fear, as well as remorse in order to develop psychopathic traits. Legal and business professions such as insurance have done research on the expression of remorse via apologies, primarily because of the potential litigation and financial implications.