Synonyms of vouchsafe

vouchsafe

verb

as in to grant

formal + old-fashioned to give (something) to someone as a promise or a privilege

He vouchsafed the secret to only a few chosen disciples.

Related Words

• grant
• have
• permit
• concede
• suffer
• allow
• accord
• sanction
• authorize
• agree (to)
• green-light
• license
• acquiesce
• endure
• consent (to)
• admit
• warrant
• tolerate
• OK
• accede (to)
• countenance
• assent (to)
• commission
• support
• condone
• brook

Dissimilar Words

• hinder
• impede
• refuse
• deny
• obstruct
• withhold
• reject
• revoke
• suppress
• disapprove
• disallow
• censure
• restrain
• deplore
• keep
• check
• dislike
• forbid
• enjoin
• interdict
• prohibit
• repress
• curb
• discountenance
• ban
• veto
• frown (at or on)
• grudge
• disfavor
• proscribe

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

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

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!