1
as in patience
the capacity to endure what is difficult or disagreeable without complaining
we thank you for your forbearance while we attend to the technical difficulties interrupting the TV program
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mercy
kind, gentle, or compassionate treatment especially towards someone who is undeserving of it
the judge showed forbearance, and gave the teenaged first offender a suspended sentence
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of forbearance
The mission could never have succeeded without the generosity and forbearance of Natives, and the spirit in which the explorers took their gifts was sometimes ugly.
—
Caleb Crain,
New Yorker,
25 May 2026
If the assassination made the President a Christlike figure, his forbearance in the face of a wife’s unreasonableness provides him with an extra measure of purity.
—
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
Borrowers enrolled in the SAVE plan, which was struck down by a federal court last month, have been in forbearance since July 2024 as a legal battle played out in courts.
—
Annie Ma,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Borrowers who switched to the SAVE repayment plan were in forbearance status for almost two years, not making payments while the politicians battled it out.
—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for forbearance
Caleb Crain,
New Yorker,
25 May 2026
If the assassination made the President a Christlike figure, his forbearance in the face of a wife’s unreasonableness provides him with an extra measure of purity.
—
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
Borrowers enrolled in the SAVE plan, which was struck down by a federal court last month, have been in forbearance since July 2024 as a legal battle played out in courts.
—
Annie Ma,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Borrowers who switched to the SAVE repayment plan were in forbearance status for almost two years, not making payments while the politicians battled it out.
—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for forbearance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forbearance
Noun
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Commentary and opinions More money and patience could help California’s vote count.
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The historical setting suits the filmmaker’s penchant for patience and precision, and its confounding intrigue keeps with his love of complex mind games.
Noun
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Yet the greater influence, Campo believes, on America’s self-governing sense of law, justice and mercy is found at the Museum of the Bible, where the famous portrait of General Washington in prayer headlines the museum’s exhibit.
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Any excuse to drop the laptop, leave the city, turn the phone over, or pretend for seventy-two hours that the inbox has lost its jurisdiction is taken as a minor national mercy.
Noun
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It's called cognitive empathy, not to be confused with emotional empathy.
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In a field where founders are taught to move fast and break things, Gen Z is taking a new approach, engineering with empathy.
Cite this Entry
“Forbearance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forbearance. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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