condone

[kuh n-dohn]

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. 2018

Related Words for condoned

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

Examples from the Web for condoned

Contemporary Examples of condoned

Yet violent images are condoned in the “right” circumstances so long as they do not celebrate brutality.
Porn Stars Want to Know: Why Did Facebook Delete Me?
Aurora Snow
August 2, 2014
The coaches thought that if it seemed like they condoned it, people wouldn't let their kids come play for Baylor.
Sham Classes and Crime Coverups Are the NCAA Normal
Robert Silverman
June 7, 2014
Moreover, neither the Polish government in exile nor the leaders of the Home Army condoned anti-Semitic measures.
‘Generation War’ Lets World War II Germans Off Too Easily
Jack Schwartz
January 26, 2014
“The thought or notion that this kind of behavior is condoned or authorized is just absurd,” Sullivan said, almost scoffing.
Senate Panel Quizzes Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan on Colombian Prostitutes
Daniel Stone
May 23, 2012
Afterward someone told the woman that Awlaki had condoned the attacks.
Anwar al-Awlaki Continues to Inspire Islamists
Tara McKelvey
November 23, 2011

Historical Examples of condoned

She left him a second time and was again deserted, and again he condoned her offence.
The Making Of A Novelist
David Christie Murray
That any payments due by them to the Public Treasury were to be condoned.
The Philippine Islands
John Foreman
They have defended and condoned the industrial exploitation of children.
The Necessity of Atheism
Dr. D.M. Brooks
But he, a lawyer, condoned them and applauded the harsh and vindictive sentences.
William Pitt and the Great War
John Holland Rose
A monstrous proceeding truly, and not to be condoned by any circumstances.
Old Familiar Faces
Theodore Watts-Dunton

British Dictionary definitions for condoned

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 condoned

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.