Synonym Chooser

How does the verb condone differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of condone are excuse, forgive, and pardon. While all these words mean "to exact neither punishment nor redress," condone implies that one overlooks without censure behavior (such as dishonesty or violence) that involves a serious breach of a moral, ethical, or legal code, and the term may refer to the behavior or to the agent responsible for it.

a society that condones alcohol but not narcotics

When would excuse be a good substitute for condone?

The words excuse and condone are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, excuse may refer to specific acts especially in social or conventional situations or the person responsible for these. Often the term implies extenuating circumstances.

excuse an interruption
excused them for interrupting
injustice excuses strong responses

When is forgive a more appropriate choice than condone?

Although the words forgive and condone have much in common, forgive implies that one gives up all claim to requital and to resentment or vengeful feelings.

could not forgive their rudeness

When can pardon be used instead of condone?

The synonyms pardon and condone are sometimes interchangeable, but pardon implies that one remits a penalty due for an admitted or established offense.

pardon a criminal

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of condone The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department does not condone any violence and remains steadfast in safeguarding our community. City News Service, Oc Register, 11 Sep. 2025 The lawsuit says the Killen Police Department didn’t stop Webster’s behavior and accuses the police chief and the town, by extension, of condoning his actions and not properly training him. Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025 And anyone who refuses to speak out against Hamas is condoning evil. Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 7 Aug. 2025 Major medical groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Board of Anesthesiology, have adopted ethical codes that generally promote the health and welfare of patients and do not explicitly condone their members' participating in executions. Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for condone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for condone
Verb
  • Premier League football in the 2000s could be dramatic and explosive, but what the nostalgia for that era ignores is the number of dour, sterile games there were, many of them settled by a goal from a set piece.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • At some point, the truth becomes impossible to ignore.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Boss was essentially thanking the Taxi Driver scribe for forgiving the creative larceny Springsteen perpetrated in those early days of his career.
    Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2025
  • That means many borrowers whose loans are forgiven after that date could be in for a hefty tax bill.
    Danielle Douglas-Gabriel The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Too often, it’s overlooked, which means missing out on benefits and prevention opportunities.
    Conviva Senior Primary Care, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Select penthouses also feature cascading string chandeliers, foosball tables, and private Peloton gyms overlooking the Strip.
    David Morris, Travel + Leisure, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Ayton doesn’t have to reach the stardom that people once heaped upon him to justify the Lakers’ signing.
    Fred Katz, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • The president has cited protests outside Portland’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility to justify the callups of troops in the deep blue city.
    Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Meanwhile, a founder scaling across Europe must incorporate separate entities in each country, untangle regulatory and employment codes in multiple languages and markets, and explain to engineers in Munich why their stock options are treated differently to their colleagues’ in Madrid.
    Jan Hammer, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The connection appeared to be partly explained by higher levels of a gut bacterium called Eggerthella, a bacterium previously linked to inflammation and found in greater abundance among people with depression.
    Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Their cry is not against the faith itself but against distorted theology that excuses cruelty.
    Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
  • After Politico reported that Young Republicans expressed outrageously racist, misogynistic and anti-Semitic sentiments, Vice President JD Vance excused it as just the edgy chat of young activists.
    The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 19 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Condone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/condone. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

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