condone
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
1Other words from condone
- con·don·a·ble, adjective
- con·don·er, noun
- un·con·doned, adjective
- un·con·don·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use condone in a sentence
That embarrassing moment, Rubio continued, left him more than hesitant to give even the appearance of condoning drug use.
Is defending Israel an excuse for condoning fascism and trivializing the Holocaust?
Why Do Italian Jews Tolerate Berlusconi's Trivialization of the Holocaust? | Anna Momigliano | November 6, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThere is a cost to condoning extremism when it seems to benefit “your team.”
False Flags, Sharia, and Gun Grabs: GOP Lawmakers Embrace the Crazy | John Avlon | April 27, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe Bush Doctrine recognized the pitfalls of condoning authoritarian governance in exchange for an illusory promise of stability.
Officially condoning promiscuous behavior at any level of the military would lead to all sorts of unpleasant results.
I don't wish to give the American public any excuse to think that I am paliating or condoning his crime.
The Third Degree | Charles Klein and Arthur HornblowI hope it will be considered that I am not now condoning dishonesty; I am merely trying to explain a state of mind.
Within Prison Walls | Thomas Mott OsborneIs not condoning a man's sins, by failing to blame him, direct encouragement to them?
The Honorable Peter Stirling and What People Thought of Him | Paul Leicester FordOld Abbie, alone, was bitterly vituperative of both the man and his condoning admirers.
The Song of the Wolf | Frank MayerLet us, then, pity the poor young man without condoning his offense.
The Black Bag | Louis Joseph Vance
British Dictionary definitions for condone
/ (kənˈdəʊn) /
to overlook or forgive (an offence)
law (esp of a spouse) to pardon or overlook (an offence, usually adultery)
Origin of condone
1Derived forms of condone
- condonable, adjective
- condonation (ˌkɒndəʊˈneɪʃən), noun
- condoner, noun
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
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