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condone

[kuh n-dohn]
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verb (used with object), con·doned, con·don·ing.
  1. to disregard or overlook (something illegal, objectionable, or the like): The government condoned the computer hacking among rival corporations.
  2. to give tacit approval to: By his silence, he seemed to condone their behavior.
  3. to pardon or forgive (an offense); excuse: His employers are willing to condone the exaggerations they uncovered in his résumé.
  4. to cause the condonation of; justify the pardoning of (an offense).
  5. 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.
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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. 2018

Examples from the Web for condone

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • She could even understand those facts, though she could not condone them.

  • 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!

  • 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)
  1. to overlook or forgive (an offence)
  2. law (esp of a spouse) to pardon or overlook (an offence, usually adultery)
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Derived Formscondonable, adjectivecondonation (ˌkɒndəʊˈneɪʃən), nouncondoner, noun

Word Origin

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

v.

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper