vouchsafe

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb vouchsafe contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of vouchsafe are accord, award, concede, and grant. While all these words mean "to give as a favor or a right," vouchsafe implies granting something as a courtesy or an act of gracious condescension.

vouchsafed the secret to only a few chosen disciples

When can accord be used instead of vouchsafe?

While the synonyms accord and vouchsafe are close in meaning, accord implies giving to another what is due or proper.

accorded all the honors befitting a head of state

When is award a more appropriate choice than vouchsafe?

Although the words award and vouchsafe have much in common, award implies giving what is deserved or merited usually after a careful weighing of pertinent factors.

awarded the company a huge defense contract

In what contexts can concede take the place of vouchsafe?

The synonyms concede and vouchsafe are sometimes interchangeable, but concede implies yielding something reluctantly in response to a rightful or compelling claim.

even her critics concede she can be charming

When might grant be a better fit than vouchsafe?

In some situations, the words grant and vouchsafe are roughly equivalent. However, grant implies giving to a claimant or petitioner something that could be withheld.

granted them a new hearing

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 vouchsafe In a country created to vouchsafe the safety and liberty of a people persecuted for centuries, the security collapse remains a source of trauma and shame. David Remnick, New Yorker, 28 July 2025 Democracy is a fragile achievement, a perpetual work in progress, not the sort of thing that can be vouchsafed by a trend line — and certainly not the sort of thing that technology automatically generates. Becca Rothfeld, Washington Post, 26 June 2024 That’s why Phony Wars speaks to us in codes, an artist vouchsafing his feelings and intentions. Armond White, National Review, 29 Sep. 2023 Consider a test-tube example, almost ordered up to make the court’s case for it, vouchsafed by California just a few weeks ago. Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 6 July 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vouchsafe
Verb
  • Combs' lawyers had previously filed a motion asking Subramanian to either overturn his criminal conviction on the transportation to engage in prostitution charges, or alternatively, grant him a new trial.
    Edward Segarra, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
  • The Wauwatosa Plan Commission granted the development initial zoning approval a month later.
    Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Ford had a challenging first half of 2025 with 88 vehicle recalls with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to NHTSA data, which now surpasses the record set by General Motors of 77 recalls for all of 2014, the Detroit Free Press previously reported.
    Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Ohio has 13 Costco warehouse locations.
    Alex Perry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Privately, political operatives from both sides concede that government shutdowns are bad for both parties.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
  • However, de Apziazu conceded streamers’ ambition and budgets are still leading to market-leading productions, even if fewer of them are made.
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Such dreams of prosperity are only permitted for so long.
    Dan Duggan, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
  • If required, an individual-sized soft-sided cooler will be permitted.
    Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • This was the third straight game that FIU punter Trey Wilhoit suffered a mishap, including two blocks and one punt returned for a touchdown.
    Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Survivors may look thin and suffer from lameness until their condition improves.
    Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 5 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • There are a thousand or so sanctioned rodeos every year around the country—the pro kind can offer million-dollar purses—but there are also many more smaller rodeos held every week on family ranches, 4-H fairgrounds, or tribal land.
    Casey Cep, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
  • An undercover operation in 2022 revealed that Komarczyk and his associate, Irazmar Carbajal, agreed to move $100,000 of what the FBI believed to be sanctioned money belonging to members of Venezuela’s government.
    Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Vouchsafe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vouchsafe. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on vouchsafe

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