1
as in patience
the capacity to endure what is difficult or disagreeable without complaining
we thank you for your forbearance while we attend to the technical difficulties interrupting the TV program
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2
as in mercy
kind, gentle, or compassionate treatment especially towards someone who is undeserving of it
the judge showed forbearance, and gave the teenaged first offender a suspended sentence
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Recent Examples of forbearance
And the backlog for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness credit continues to grow, impacting public service workers who were unable to get the financial help due to deferment or a period of forbearance.
—
Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Palomar’s reserves dwindled so much that its cash on hand no longer met lender guidelines, forcing the organization to approve a forbearance agreement to prevent default on more than $700 million in outstanding revenue bonds.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 2025
Glasser and Yari then entered into a forbearance agreement, whereby Glasser would repay $250,000 immediately, plus $50,000 a month for a year, after which the full amount would come due.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 31 July 2025
The agency argues that while the case did not impact forgiveness under IBR, what type of forbearances would count for loan discharges were.
—Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for forbearance
Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Palomar’s reserves dwindled so much that its cash on hand no longer met lender guidelines, forcing the organization to approve a forbearance agreement to prevent default on more than $700 million in outstanding revenue bonds.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 2025
Glasser and Yari then entered into a forbearance agreement, whereby Glasser would repay $250,000 immediately, plus $50,000 a month for a year, after which the full amount would come due.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 31 July 2025
The agency argues that while the case did not impact forgiveness under IBR, what type of forbearances would count for loan discharges were.
—Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for forbearance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forbearance
Noun
-
Making this show should not be that difficult, and season 21 really tried our patience.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Zahn is a master at non-verbal incredulity, and Coach Hudson’s perplexed patience in the face of Chad’s weirdness is never not entertaining.—
Kristen Baldwin,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Their exits are magnified without mercy and underreported without context.—
Essence,
Essence,
23 Sep. 2025
-
The book is a kind of illness travelogue in which the wily poet-author’s avatar shows up every day in a new mind and body, and often in a new place, with rejiggered symptoms, and attempts to win her reborn self’s favor, or at least its mercy.—
Paul McAdory,
Vulture,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Bold and deeply human, Punch is initially a bit slow on the wind up, but its stellar cast help weave together an almost unbelievable story of compassion and empathy in its second act that left many theatergoers sniffling in their seats.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Sep. 2025
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At Unbound, Griffin also oversees the Global Classmates program, which connects students in the United States with sponsored children around the world to promote empathy and global awareness through educational resources like poverty simulations and awareness trips.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forbearance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forbearance. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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