forgiveness

noun

for·​give·​ness fər-ˈgiv-nəs 

fȯr-

: the act of forgiving

I ask for your forgiveness.

Synonyms of forgiveness

• amnesty
• pardon

Examples of forgiveness in a Sentence

She treats us with kindness and forgiveness.

they asked her forgiveness for failing to invite her to the party

Recent Examples on the Web

Here the two reconcile when Aziraphale asks Crowley’s forgiveness. —Keith Phipps, Vulture, 13 May 2026

So for graduates walking into a treacherous student debt landscape, even a single round of loan forgiveness can help. —Sydney Lake, Fortune, 13 May 2026

Brown’s patriarch is the embodiment of that unbalanced relationship, causing chaos and expecting more love and forgiveness in return. —Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026

The bright boy who came into their rooms with his toy soldiers to start world-making would not return, and no reconciliation or words of forgiveness would ever reach him. —Literary Hub, 12 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for forgiveness

• liveness

Kids Definition

forgiveness

noun

for·​give·​ness fər-ˈgiv-nəs 

fȯr-

: the act of forgiving : pardon