noun
-
the act of forgiving or the state of being forgiven
-
willingness to forgive
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of forgiveness
before 900; Middle English forgifenesse, Old English forgifennys. See forgive, -ness
Explanation
Compassionate feelings for someone that make it easier to forgive that person for some offense can be called forgiveness. Feelings of forgiveness make it easier to feel empathy toward people who have harmed you. If you give someone a break and forgive some misdeed or mistake, you are practicing the act of forgiveness. If your sister borrows your favorite white sweater without asking, it's easy to offer her forgiveness. If your sister borrows your favorite white sweater without asking and spills a glass of chocolate milk on it, forgiveness may be a little harder to grant.
Vocabulary lists containing forgiveness
Ceremony
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Shiloh
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for April 22–April 28, 2023
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When Mary shows up unexpectedly, asking Sam for the two things she won’t provide — forgiveness and a dress — the pair slowly find their bond regenerating, pulled back together by forces outside their control.
From Salon • Jun. 10, 2026
But she told police she never knew what the forgiveness was for.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
Thanks to rent forgiveness and government help, their businesses survived, and when the pandemic abated, business began to pick up.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
Berman recommends getting on an income-driven repayment program, which would put me in an affordable payment plan where the monthly payments would also count toward my loan forgiveness.
From MarketWatch • May 26, 2026
I tried to ask for forgiveness by giving them candied figs.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
