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condone

verb
con·​done | \ kən-ˈdōn How to pronounce condone (audio) \
condoned; condoning

Definition of condone

transitive verb

: to regard or treat (something bad or blameworthy) as acceptable, forgivable, or harmless a government accused of condoning racism condone corruption in politics
Other Words from condone Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about condone

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Other Words from condone

condonable \ kən-​ˈdō-​nə-​bəl How to pronounce condonable (audio) \ adjective
condoner noun

Choose the Right Synonym for condone

excuse, condone, pardon, forgive mean to exact neither punishment nor redress. excuse may refer to specific acts especially in social or conventional situations or the person responsible for these. excuse an interruption excused them for interrupting Often the term implies extenuating circumstances. injustice excuses strong responses condone implies that one overlooks without censure behavior (such as dishonesty or violence) that involves a serious breach of a moral, ethical, or legal code, and the term may refer to the behavior or to the agent responsible for it. a society that condones alcohol but not narcotics pardon implies that one remits a penalty due for an admitted or established offense. pardon a criminal forgive implies that one gives up all claim to requital and to resentment or vengeful feelings. could not forgive their rudeness

Did You Know?

Since some folks don't condone even minor usage slips, you might want to get the meaning of this word straight. Although English speakers sometimes use "condone" with the intended meaning "approve of" or "encourage," the more established meaning is closer to "pardon" or "overlook." "Condone" comes from the Latin verb condonare, which means "to absolve." "Condonare" in turn combines the Latin prefix con-, indicating thoroughness, and donare, meaning "to give" or "to grant." Not surprisingly, "donare" is also the source of our words "donate" and "pardon."

Examples of condone in a Sentence

"I don't condone violence, and I think 'gangsta rap' should be outlawed," says [designer Tommy] Hilfiger … — Joshua Levine, Forbes, 21 Apr. 1997 Without waiting for Momma's thanks, he rode out of the yard, sure that things were as they should be and that he was a gentle squire, saving those deserving serfs from the laws of the land, which he condoned. — Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969 And then she told him all—told him the truth word by word, without attempting to shield herself or condone her error. — Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan of the Apes, 1912 a government that has been accused of condoning racism he is too quick to condone his friend's faults
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Recent Examples on the Web

 The database shows hundreds of officers across the country posted racist or misogynistic statements or condoned violence on their Facebook accounts. — Uriel J. Garcia, azcentral, "Phoenix police union looks to 'scrub' officers from the internet after racist Facebook posts," 18 July 2019 Today security analysts widely believe that the attacks were condoned by the Kremlin, if not actively coordinated by its leaders. — Andy Greenberg, WIRED, "The WIRED Guide to Cyberwar," 23 Aug. 2019 The candidate who questioned whether Barack Obama was born in the United States, and who seemed to condone the beating of a Black Lives Matter protester at a campaign rally. — Adam Epstein, Quartz, "Read Toni Morrison’s prescient essay about white supremacist violence and Trump," 6 Aug. 2019 Our conclusion does not condone excessive partisan gerrymandering. — Brent Kendall, WSJ, "Supreme Court Declines to Set Limits on Political Gerrymandering," 27 June 2019 While Miss Manners does not condone the behavior of the person demanding a glass of whatever you were drinking, sharing is still central to social intercourse. — Judith Martin, Washington Post, "Miss Manners: Wine snobs don’t want to share," 24 July 2019 The company, of course, doesn’t condone this particular use of its software. — Bijan Stephen, The Verge, "Plex makes piracy just another streaming service," 23 July 2019 Many Republicans are being forced to choose between condoning the bigotry and facing Trump’s political wrath. — Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, "Trump is eager to draw Democrats into fight over his racist tweets," 16 July 2019 Maza’s supporters, meanwhile, shared screenshots of ads that had run before Crowder’s videos, suggesting that, because YouTube offers popular video producers a cut of ad revenue, the company had implicitly condoned Crowder’s messages. — Neima Jahromi, The New Yorker, "The Fight for the Future of YouTube," 8 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'condone.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of condone

1805, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for condone

Latin condonare to absolve, from com- + donare to give — more at donation

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More Definitions for condone

condone

verb
How to pronounce condone (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of condone

: to forgive or approve (something that is considered wrong) : to allow (something that is considered wrong) to continue

See the full definition for condone in the English Language Learners Dictionary

condone

verb
con·​done | \ kən-ˈdōn\
condoned; condoning

Kids Definition of condone

: to treat (something bad) as acceptable, forgivable, or harmless I can't condone his actions.

condone

transitive verb
con·​done | \ kən-ˈdōn How to pronounce condone (audio) \

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