pardon

noun

Forgiveness for an offence.

(law) An order that releases a convicted criminal without further punishment, prevents future punishment, or (in some jurisdictions) removes an offence from a person's criminal record, as if it had never been committed.

verb

(transitive) To forgive (a person).

(transitive, law) To grant an official pardon for a crime.

(transitive) To refrain from exacting as a penalty.

Roots

dono-don · Latin · give, grant

Synonyms for pardon

forgivenessn amnestyn excusen forgivev clemencyn condonationn leniencyn absolutionn mercyn exculpationn absolvev acquittaln exonerationn remissionn

Synonyms & related words for pardon

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of pardon — including forgiveness, amnesty, excuse, forgive, clemency, condonation. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to pardon

Explore words related to pardon — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include forgiven, excuser, forgiver, lenience, apologies, lenity, reprieves, remissible. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for pardon

Common synonyms for pardon include forgiveness, amnesty, excuse, forgive, clemency, condonation, leniency, absolution — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does pardon come from?

The word pardon breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root -don, from Latin dono (“give, grant”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.