condone

[kuh n-dohn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR condone ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), con·doned, con·don·ing.

to disregard or overlook (something illegal, objectionable, or the like): The government condoned the computer hacking among rival corporations.

to give tacit approval to: By his silence, he seemed to condone their behavior.

to pardon or forgive (an offense); excuse: His employers are willing to condone the exaggerations they uncovered in his résumé.

to cause the condonation of; justify the pardoning of (an offense).

Law. to forgive or act so as to imply forgiveness of (a violation of the marriage vow): His spouse condoned his infidelity from the early years of their marriage.

Origin of condone

1615–25, but in general currency from its use in the British Divorce Act of 1857 (see def. 5); < Latin condōnāre to absolve, grant pardon, equivalent to con- con- + dōnāre to give; see donate

Related formscon·don·a·ble, adjectivecon·don·er, nounun·con·doned, adjectiveun·con·don·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for condone

ignore, excuse, forget, forgive, buy, okay, pardon, overlook, remit, disregard

Examples from the Web for condone

Contemporary Examples of condone

In an act of corporal punishment that we at the Daily Beast do not condone, Joseph grabbed Him by the ear and “pulled hard.”
Was Baby Jesus A Holy Terror?
Candida Moss
December 21, 2014
On Thursday, Bridenstine responded that he “did not condone” the comments calling for Obama to be executed.
The Right’s Dangerous Rhetoric: Obama as an ‘Enemy Combatant’
Dean Obeidallah
February 10, 2014
The grand intelligent design blueprint surely would not and could not condone such a partition.
What the Man With No Ass Crack Can Teach Darwinists and Creationists
Kent Sepkowitz
January 14, 2014
If you ignore wrongdoing,” said Clohessy, “you condone wrongdoing.
From Dirty War to Child Abuse, Church’s Past Confronts Pope Francis
Christopher Dickey
March 17, 2013
I cannot condone the PA's performance or its behavior—and I have told them so.
Putting The Blame On "Palestine's Democratic Deficit"
James Zogby
February 19, 2013

Historical Examples of condone

She could even understand those facts, though she could not condone them.
The Woman Thou Gavest Me
Hall Caine
Sin itself is often easier than simpleness to pardon and condone.
The Manxman
Hall Caine
That erstwhile habit of Sakr-el-Bahr's was one not easy to condone.
The Sea-Hawk
Raphael Sabatini
I simply do not understand your language, and even less can I condone your haste!
We're Friends, Now
Henry Hasse
There are faults, and these of a kind this present age is ill-disposed to condone.
Views and Reviews
William Ernest Henley

British Dictionary definitions for condone

condone

verb (tr)

to overlook or forgive (an offence)

law (esp of a spouse) to pardon or overlook (an offence, usually adultery)

Derived Formscondonable, adjectivecondonation (ˌkɒndəʊˈneɪʃən), nouncondoner, noun

Word Origin for condone

C19: from Latin condōnāre to remit a debt, from com- (intensive) + dōnāre to donate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for condone

1857, from Latin condonare "to give up, remit, permit," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + donare "to give" (see donation). Originally a legal term in the Matrimonial Causes Act, which made divorce a civil matter in Britain. Related: Condoned; condoning.