as in remitting
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1
as in forgiving
to cease to have feelings of anger or bitterness toward
he eventually pardoned his sister after she apologized
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ignoring
to dismiss as of little importance
I'm willing to pardon a little sloppiness of dress in such a kind and loving person
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Recent Examples of pardoning
Bernadette Meyler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
No one can stop him from directing the Justice Department to indict his enemies for non-crimes while ignoring or pardoning the actual crimes of his political allies.
—Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2026
South Korea has a history of pardoning former presidents who were jailed over diverse crimes in the name of promoting national unity.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
Thursday’s report is not the first time the possibility of Trump pardoning Combs has been publicly discussed.
—Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
Trump previously voiced support for pardoning Netanyahu and discussed the matter during their Monday meeting at Mar-a-Lago.
—Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 29 Dec. 2025
Biden courted controversy by pardoning his son before leaving office.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 16 Dec. 2025
In some cases, pardoning individuals who acted under duress – and even willing but nonviolent collaborators who fully disclose their actions – can support postwar reconciliation.
—Valerie Morkevicius, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025
While the rest of the country gets done pardoning turkeys, Miami pardoned a pig.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 9 Dec. 2025
Verb
Nearly a century later, in 1977, Jimmy Carter helped mend the divisions plaguing the United States in the aftermath of the Vietnam War by pardoning those who had dodged the draft.
—Bernadette Meyler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
No one can stop him from directing the Justice Department to indict his enemies for non-crimes while ignoring or pardoning the actual crimes of his political allies.
—Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2026
South Korea has a history of pardoning former presidents who were jailed over diverse crimes in the name of promoting national unity.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
Thursday’s report is not the first time the possibility of Trump pardoning Combs has been publicly discussed.
—Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
Trump previously voiced support for pardoning Netanyahu and discussed the matter during their Monday meeting at Mar-a-Lago.
—Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 29 Dec. 2025
Biden courted controversy by pardoning his son before leaving office.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 16 Dec. 2025
In some cases, pardoning individuals who acted under duress – and even willing but nonviolent collaborators who fully disclose their actions – can support postwar reconciliation.
—Valerie Morkevicius, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025
While the rest of the country gets done pardoning turkeys, Miami pardoned a pig.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 9 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pardoning
Verb
-
Batwing sleeves and a loose, forgiving shape leave plenty of extra fabric to cozy into, but ribbing around the entrance of the sleeves creates a snug fit to prevent cold air from touching your skin.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Venus in Pisces is all that and more — encouraging people to be forgiving and sacrificing for others.—
Lisa Stardust,
Refinery29,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Some readers refuse to join one, stubbornly persisting in flipping to one section and ignoring the rest.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Hustle culture praised women for ignoring their instincts in the name of productivity.—
Kelly Ehlers,
Rolling Stone,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Japan romantics may be overlooking some clear drawbacks, however, including the 30 years of economic struggles that followed the bursting of a truly epic bubble in the 1990s.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The centerpiece of the 13-acre-plus parkland is a curved bridge overlooking a savanna, allowing elephants to walk under guests.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Perardi emailed a photo explaining that it had been given to him as collateral.—
Matthew Bremner,
Rolling Stone,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Several board members cited the legal outcome in explaining their votes against Ben Gamla.—
Grace Gilson,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Justice Department has not yet released a formal explanation justifying its redaction decisions.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
10 Feb. 2026
-
And yet, major Jewish legacy organizations continue to insist that support for Israel requires denying the realities of occupation, justifying violence against Palestinians and rejecting Palestinian self-determination even while affirming the same for Jews.—
Rabbi Jill Jacobs,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In a separate court filing submitted Monday, Cole’s attorneys also demanded broad discovery, including all statements attributed to him, investigative notes, information about the FBI’s use of informants to identify Cole as a suspect, and any exculpatory material.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
29 Dec. 2025
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The petition further accuses prosecutors of withholding exculpatory material, including internal FBI notes, grand jury records and information about Epstein’s properties and financial transactions.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
18 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pardoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pardoning. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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