Lenten

American  

[len-tn] / ˈlɛn tn /

Or lenten

adjective

1. of, relating to, or suitable for Lent.

2. suggesting Lent, as in austerity, frugality, or rigorousness; meager.

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lenten British  

/ ˈlɛntən /

adjective

1. (often capital) of or relating to Lent

2. archaic spare, plain, or meagre

   lenten fare

3. archaic cold, austere, or sombre

   a lenten lover

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Etymology

Origin of Lenten

First recorded before 900; Middle English lente(n) “spring, springtime, Lent,” noun use of Old English noun and adjective lengten, læncgten, lencten “spring, springtime, Lent; of springtime, Lenten”; later taken as an adjective ending in -en; see origin at Lent, -en ²

Example Sentences

There’s something valuable in the Christian practice of letting people determine their Lenten sacrifices.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

That didn’t include the readers who reached out to me after I wrote a column about Mami’s capirotada — Mexican Lenten bread pudding.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2024

"We should all continue praying for our Pope Francis this Lenten season. Let us include him in our prayers, as we pray for our loved ones who are sick," parish priest Reynante Tolentino said.

From Reuters • Apr. 2, 2023

I had stumbled onto a family's Lenten fish fry.

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2023

My faith was buttressed by a book by Jacques Maritain rather than by the experience of worship at a Lenten service with classmates or serving at some old lady’s funeral.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez