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
Business Technology News Judges rule unanimously against her Her remaining options: a Hail Mary appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court or a presidential pardon. Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 9 May 2025 The photos honored the 31 resistance fighters the Nazis summarily hanged despite promises of pardon. Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 2 May 2025
Verb
The Tennessee Board of Parole recommended on Tuesday (April 22) that the state’s Governor consider pardoning Jelly Roll for his past convictions. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 Apr. 2025 Could the president pardon anyone Boasberg convicts of criminal contempt? John E. Jones Iii, The Conversation, 18 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pardon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pardon
Noun
  • More than 134,000 Los Angeles County residents began getting notices in the mail Monday as part of the first wave of medical bill forgiveness made possible by the county’s Medical Debt Relief Program.
    Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2025
  • Processing forbearances can count toward student loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program for a period of up to 60 days.
    Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
Verb
  • Barack Obama faced injunctions against Obamacare and Joe Biden's plan to forgive student loans was blocked.
    Bart Jansen, USA Today, 18 May 2025
  • The Chiefs’ leader will have celebrated his 30th birthday when Arrowhead rolls out the red-and-gold carpet for Jayden Daniels & Co., but given the weird dilation of post-COVID time and the Chiefs’ watery ubiquity, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Mahomes went to high school with Sid Luckman.
    Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 16 May 2025
Verb
  • When Jackson walked off the pitch and down the tunnel, Chelsea’s head coach appeared deliberately to ignore him.
    Simon Johnson, New York Times, 12 May 2025
  • Get best-in-class reporting that's too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year.
    Julian Chokkattu, Wired News, 12 May 2025
Noun
  • The proposal also calls for a pause in the final shift of state sales taxes on motor fuel purchases to the state’s road construction fund, as well as an amnesty program for delinquent taxpayers.
    Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2025
  • The Reagan era amnesty program, with its length-of-time requirements and insistence on records clean of even a driving ticket, seems to offer scant promise.
    Greg Evans, Deadline, 27 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • One factor that is often overlooked is that the speech must be deliverable.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
  • The priest and academic believes Pope Leo XIV will in many ways follow the trajectory of Pope Francis, showing a similar commitment to care for immigrants, refugees and others who are often overlooked or disparaged.
    Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2025
Verb
  • Cook County Judge Angela Petrone ordered the juror, who appeared to recover, excused and subbed in one of the alternates.
    Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2025
  • Without excusing Weinstein’s thuggish qualities for a second, Evans was never the physical caricature of the studio exec.
    John Tamny, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pardon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pardon. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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