1
as in to pardon
to cease to have feelings of anger or bitterness toward
it is not easy to forgive those who have hurt us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to ignore
to dismiss as of little importance
he has so many good qualities that I guess we can forgive a slight penchant for exaggeration
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 forgive
Readers of The Meaning of Your Life could be forgiven for thinking that despair was invented in 2007, the year the first iPhone was released.
—
Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026
And Gulf citizens aren’t going to forgive and forget.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Then there’s Mel (Amanda Peet), who is not quite ready to forgive Coop—though others, apparently, are.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 1 Apr. 2026
Does Fresh Start forgive all tax debt?
—Deane Biermeier, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for forgive
Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026
And Gulf citizens aren’t going to forgive and forget.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Then there’s Mel (Amanda Peet), who is not quite ready to forgive Coop—though others, apparently, are.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 1 Apr. 2026
Does Fresh Start forgive all tax debt?
—Deane Biermeier, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for forgive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forgive
Verb
-
His legal restoration began in 2020 with Trump pardoning him for lying to the FBI.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Lukashenko pardoned the prisoners after meeting with Coale in Minsk.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
This is a youngster in great form and proving hard to ignore.—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Some Democrats argue that the cost of ignoring young male voters is higher than the risk of association with Piker.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Rooms are in muted tones of grey, green, and dusky blue, and even the smallest have plenty of space with king-size beds and a table and chairs—the city views are more interesting, but the ones overlooking the courtyard have dinky Juliette balconies as a consolation.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The museum’s fourth floor doubles as an event space and features a large terrace that overlooks the bay.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Using a synesthetic logic all his own, Torres explains why Dwayne (the Rock) Johnson is orange, Catholicism is purple, and navy blue is the nefarious color that secretly runs the world.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
-
For an overview of small business tax responsibilities, see IRS Publication 583, which explains general filing and recordkeeping requirements.—
Nancy Ashburn,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And historians can talk about the Versailles treaty causing resentment in Germany, which led to the rise of Nazism in World War II, and that’s fine; that’s not excusing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
-
No grievance, no workplace conflict, no personal resentment ever excuses violence.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Policies were justified not with reference to morality or metaphysics but with citations of white papers.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Conflicts abroad, such as in Iran, that may disrupt domestic oil resources could also be used as an argument to justify the need to drill, Sivas said.—
Sierra Lopez,
Mercury News,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forgive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forgive. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
