pardon 1 of 2

pardon

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb pardon differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of pardon are condone, excuse, and forgive. While all these words mean "to exact neither punishment nor redress," pardon implies that one remits a penalty due for an admitted or established offense.

pardon a criminal

When is condone a more appropriate choice than pardon?

In some situations, the words condone and pardon are roughly equivalent. However, 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 might excuse be a better fit than pardon?

The words excuse and pardon 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 can forgive be used instead of pardon?

The synonyms forgive and pardon are sometimes interchangeable, but forgive implies that one gives up all claim to requital and to resentment or vengeful feelings.

could not forgive their rudeness

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 pardon
Noun
The Tennessee Board of Parole has recommended a pardon for Jelly Roll — who has spoken openly about his criminal record and time served incarcerated — following a nearly two-hour hearing Tuesday in Nashville. Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2025 Once reelected, Trump sprang them all, with pardons and commutations. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
If Trump wanted to relieve Adams from his criminal indictment, the president could simply have pardoned the mayor, instead his henchman Emil Bove concocted a scheme to temporarily suspend the case against Adams provided the mayor went along with the Trump immigration agenda. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 3 Apr. 2025 President Trump has pardoned Trevor Milton, founder of now-bankrupt hydrogen and electric truck maker Nikola, who was convicted in 2022 of misleading investors. Ben Geman, Axios, 28 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pardon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pardon
Noun
  • The Institute of Student Loan Advisors has a database of student loan forgiveness programs by state.
    Annie Nova, CNBC, 26 Apr. 2025
  • Under former President Joe Biden, the Education Department tried multiple times to give broad forgiveness of student loans, only to be stopped by courts.
    Todd Karpovich, Baltimore Sun, 24 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Clear communication with borrowers One can forgive borrowers for being confused in this moment.
    Preston Cooper, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Indeed, you could be forgiven for growing slightly cynical of the big pledges, glossy roadmaps, endless subsidy schemes, and constant climate conferences.
    Antoine Rostand, Time, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The Murrow perspective allows Clooney and Heslov to ignore the actual Communist contamination of both the media and the government.
    Armond White, National Review, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Soviet citizens in the 1980s could no longer ignore the glaring differences between the utopian promises of communism and the reality of an autocratic and incompetent regime.
    Margaret MacMillan, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The men who abducted Paiva were indicted by federal prosecutors in 2014—but they have been protected by an amnesty law, passed as the regime was coming to an end, which has effectively kept the country from reckoning with the savagery of military rule.
    Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
  • This month, though, Mayor Brandon Johnson has announced an amnesty program wherein all of those penalties have been waived.
    The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Ammos Greek With a terrace overlooking JBR Beach and Bluewaters Island, Ammos Greek, at Rixos Premium Dubai JBR, boasts a chic dining ambiance brimming with Aegean coastal charm.
    Natasha Amar, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Makeshift tents fill the crammed courtyard, the solid edifice of the church overlooking the flimsy havens.
    CNN’s Abeer Salman and Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Behaviors once deemed unacceptable are becoming normalized and excused.
    Toby Wong, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
  • The school board then revised its Religious Diversity Guidelines to limit the circumstances when students can be excused to noncurricular activities or free-time events that conflict with their family's religious practices.
    Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pardon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pardon. Accessed 4 May. 2025.

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