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forgivable

adjective

Definition of forgivablenext
as in excusable
worthy of forgiveness accidentally spilling your coffee on my newspaper is certainly a forgivable mishap

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 forgivable Ohio State’s loss is more forgivable and the odds to make the CFP reflect that. — Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026 His resistance toward the transfer portal would be more forgivable if Swinney was still landing top-five recruiting classes, but that isn't the reality anymore. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026 Strain through a fine-mesh strainer set over a measuring cup, firmly pressing against the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much flavor as possible (a little tea in the cream is forgivable). — Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026 And a Kansas loan for certain medical students can be forgivable, Moultrie said. — Annie Nova, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2026 The law authorizes a pilot program offering grants and forgivable loans to address a range of repair needs and health hazards. — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 17 July 2026 In some cases, this is partly forgivable because the law in their region requires a human be in the car. — Brad Templeton, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026 Through this program, the City of Charlotte offers deferred and forgivable loan options designed to make purchasing your first home more accessible. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 10 June 2026 The program also offers a zero-interest second lien and a forgivable loan that may be forgiven after three years if requirements are met. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forgivable
  1. excusable
  2. justifiable
  3. pardonable
Adjective
  • The purpose of the Correspondents’ Dinner is often misunderstood, an excusable side-effect of the viral clips over the years that show sitting presidents roasting the media (and getting roasted by entertainers in return).
    — Kyler Alvord, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026
  • The rule in your case is that keeping the neighbors up at night is rude, but excusable in the case of unavoidable necessity.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 15 July 2026
Definition of excusable
Adjective
  • The tax revolt was a successful attempt by a small group of ideologues to capitalize on people’s justifiable anger at the cost-of-living crisis that followed the war in Vietnam, along with California’s runaway home prices.
    — Maggie McGowan, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The valuation of Fernandez is entirely justifiable within the context of the huge fees paid by several Premier League clubs, and specifically City, for high-level central midfielders this summer.
    — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of justifiable
Adjective
  • But in this instance, the breach is entirely pardonable, because these two men, Jun and Arthur, have just gotten married.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Aug. 2025
  • All this is to say that any excesses of enthusiasm for Friday (and Thursday) might seem pardonable, although each day reached the thermal pinnacle of the 80s.
    — Martin Weil, Washington Post, 19 July 2024
Definition of pardonable

Browse Nearby Words

forging
forgivable
forgive
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Cite this Entry

“Forgivable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forgivable. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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