forgiving 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of forgivingnext
1
as in caring

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in charitable

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

forgiving

2 of 2

verb

present participle of forgive
1
as in pardoning
to cease to have feelings of anger or bitterness toward it is not easy to forgive those who have hurt us

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ignoring
to dismiss as of little importance he has so many good qualities that I guess we can forgive a slight penchant for exaggeration

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 forgiving
Adjective
But this style of gardening is very forgiving. — Miranda Crowell, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 June 2026 The Bravoverse is a largely forgiving community. — Kate Aurthur, Variety, 11 June 2026
Verb
Because data centers tend to be built in clusters where public policy is forgiving and resources plentiful, the bulk of Americans who share their neighborhood with server farms live in a relatively small handful of states, such as Virginia and Texas. — Tristan Bove, Fortune, 22 June 2026 Philodendrons are easy and forgiving enough for beginners, but even more experienced gardeners love them for their variety of foliage and easy care. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 19 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for forgiving
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forgiving
  1. caring
  2. charitable
  3. pardoning
  4. ignoring
  5. compassionate
  6. scattered
  7. overlooking
  8. loving
Adjective
  • Men too experience gender bias at work and may be penalized for caring behaviors, so normalizing and rewarding care work performed by men can help illustrate that care work is imperative for a healthy workplace culture for all.
    — Holly Corbett, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Bryan Marchment was known as one of the NHL’s most ferocious defensemen of his era, and was also described as a caring and compassionate father and friend away from the rink.
    — Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 1 July 2026
Definition of caring
Adjective
  • The American defense was charitable on most, if not all, of Belgium’s four goals last round.
    — Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 10 July 2026
  • For almost all of these races there is a charitable angle, a way to buy a spot outside the normal lottery, application or qualification process.
    — Larry Olmsted, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of charitable
Verb
  • President Bill Clinton came under fire for pardoning former hedge-fund manager Marc Rich, and President Joe Biden was roundly criticized for pardoning his son, Hunter, as well as preemptively pardoning other family members.
    — Ryan Lucas, NPR, 13 May 2026
  • The Democrats have signaled that they are united in opposition to any talk of pardoning Maxwell.
    — Shirsho Dasgupta, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2026
Definition of pardoning
Verb
  • Goldberg said lawmakers should have stood up for students instead of ignoring the constitutional requirement.
    — Charlie Borla, Oc Register, 9 July 2026
  • Iranian state television said the tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim the assault.
    — Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of ignoring
Adjective
  • In your 12th House of Solitude, compassionate Venus trines vulnerable Chiron in your 8th House of Intimacy and Shared Resources, aligning reflection with deeper trust.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 10 July 2026
  • Grossman’s soldiers might not be tidy paragons of bravery, but they’re portrayed with an unwavering, compassionate regard.
    — Madeleine Wulfahrt, New Yorker, 8 July 2026
Definition of compassionate
Adjective
  • The right conversation could turn scattered effort into a working plan.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 5 July 2026
  • If your data is messy, scattered or stale, the AI output fails.
    — Sagi Eliyahu, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
Definition of scattered
Verb
  • Surveillance cameras captured a person dressed in dark clothing on a nearby roof overlooking the courtyard less than ten minutes before the killing, prosecutors said in charging documents.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • That’s adjacent to what is technically a closetless third bedroom, overlooking the leafy treescape, although the listing is staged with it as a separate living room.
    — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 6 July 2026
Definition of overlooking
Adjective
  • This loving, anguished memorial movie includes copious clips of Adrian from the director’s earlier films and from home movies.
    — Marina Harss, New Yorker, 10 July 2026
  • Till this day their relationship is remembered as one of the most loving of them all.
    — Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 10 July 2026
Definition of loving

Browse Nearby Words

forgives and forgets
forgiving
forgiving and forgetting
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Forgiving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forgiving. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on forgiving

Nglish: Translation of forgiving for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of xeric

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All