condone

verb

kən-ˈdōn How to pronounce condone (audio)
Definition of condonenext
as in to ignore
to dismiss as of little importance he is too quick to condone his friend's faults

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb condone differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of condone are excuse, forgive, and pardon. While all these words mean "to exact neither punishment nor redress," 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 would excuse be a good substitute for condone?

The words excuse and condone 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 is forgive a more appropriate choice than condone?

Although the words forgive and condone have much in common, forgive implies that one gives up all claim to requital and to resentment or vengeful feelings.

could not forgive their rudeness

When can pardon be used instead of condone?

The synonyms pardon and condone are sometimes interchangeable, but pardon implies that one remits a penalty due for an admitted or established offense.

pardon a criminal

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 condone Without condoning the vulgarity of Team Trump, the shock may be useful. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025 In the aftermath of the French brand’s 2022 crisis over advertising images that critics claimed condoned the exploitation of children, that business, too, collapsed. —Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 27 Mar. 2025 Last year, analysts from the Institute for the Study of War pointed to an increase in the execution-style killing of Ukrainian troops, with Russian commanders allegedly encouraging and condoning such actions. —Katya Soldak, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025 The approach does not condone the content or encourage its use, Dr. Willoughby emphasized, but acknowledges its ubiquity and unrealistic, hard-core nature. —Michael Gonchar, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for condone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for condone
  1. ignore
  2. forgive
  3. overlook
  4. justify
  5. explain
  6. excuse
Verb
  • Wallen briefly hugged the actress but seemed to ignore the rest of the cast and quickly walked past view of the camera.
    — Jay Stahl, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Get best-in-class reporting that's too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year.
    — Louryn Strampe, Wired News, 18 Apr. 2025
Definition of ignore
Verb
  • Fans have not forgiven him for trading a global superstar in the prime of his career.
    — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Please forgive us for probably passing over your favorite race at the storied track.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 13 Apr. 2025
Definition of forgive
Verb
  • The mission began in fairly standard form: The SEALs infiltrated a bleak and dusty corner of Ramadi that happened to overlook a marketplace and, unbeknownst to them, also sat across from the lair of the Iraqi insurgents.
    — Fred Schruers, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2025
  • This approach allows organizations to cultivate lifelong relationships with new supporters for whom standard fundraising strategies may have previously overlooked. 7.
    — Larry Bomback, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Definition of overlook
Verb
  • The myth that trans women are a danger to cis women is a grossly transphobic stereotype with almost no real-world justification, but Rowling pins most of her anti-trans arguments on it, using her experience as a survivor of domestic abuse to justify her prejudice.
    — Aja Romano, Vox, 18 Apr. 2025
  • As a result, the court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to either determine whether greenhouse gases from new vehicles contribute to climate change, and therefore endanger human health, or justify its refusal to study the issue.
    — Hannah Wiseman, The Conversation, 18 Apr. 2025
Definition of justify
Verb
  • The reason for the independence, the Brookings Institution explains, is that politicians tend to want lower interest rates because lower rates stimulate the economy.
    — Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 21 Apr. 2025
  • If yes, please explain: Only at the misdemeanor level.
    — Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2025
Definition of explain
Verb
  • Until Henry momentarily excuses himself from the table, that is, and the person or persons behind these winky-wink messages tell her to poison Henry ASAP or the menacing guy currently hiding in her apartment will kill her boy.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2025
  • The 2025 Masters is here, and more than Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele will be on display this week at Augusta National Golf Club for all the fans — excuse us, patrons — to bear witness to.
    — Hugh Kellenberger, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Definition of excuse

Browse Nearby Words

condonations
condone
condoned
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Condone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/condone. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on condone

Nglish: Translation of condone for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Words in Disguise: Do these seem familiar?

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

'Blue Moon,' 'Wolf Moon,' and Other Moons to Look for Throughout the Year

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name that thing flower edition
Name That Flower Can you tell the difference between a lilac and a...
See All