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
  • Reactions to the extraordinary news spread quickly, ranging from surprise to anger at the league itself, according to five people who work inside or closely with the NBA, all of whom were granted anonymity because they were not permitted to speak publicly about the matter.
    Andrew Greif, NBC news, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Advertisement But countries may be hesitant to take the step of granting Americans asylum.
    Solcyré Burga, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Players can also add the Double Play for an additional $1 to have a second chance at winning $10 million.
    Chris Sims, IndyStar, 23 Oct. 2025
  • That means more than one of every eight of Kroger's 103 stores in its Cincinnati-Dayton division (which includes Northern Kentucky) have the digital devices so far.
    Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The result was comprehensive, with Spain only conceding one goal en route to the 4-0 victory over Italy in the final.
    Mark Carey, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Trump has seesawed over his support for Ukraine, suggesting last week that Kyiv should be ready to concede territory to Russia.
    Chloe Taylor,Tasmin Lockwood,Katrina Bishop,Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • During that time, Ashley has said he's been working on a policy that is both strong and permits access to the courthouse complex but has acknowledged the limitations of what is legally permissible.
    Vanessa Swales, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Because John Herschel believed that the correlation between magnetic storms and auroras revealed both to be meteorological phenomena, the new observatories would be equipped with weather instruments that, in time, would permit the first global measurements of climate change.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Authorities then discovered De Silva suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.
    Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2025
  • That is, some of the properties suffered damage during the war, but others were destroyed because the owners left the country during the conflict.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Hannah, 54, writes thrillers under her own name as well as the Poirots, sanctioned by the Christie estate.
    Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Construction and engineering services firm Geotech Holdings – which has seven subsidiaries, each sanctioned by the US government – has headquarters in Kwai Chung, home to the city’s container port.
    Helen Regan, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Vouchsafe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vouchsafe. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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