Meaning & use
condone
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Meaning
verbtransitiveformal
To accept or overlook behavior that is wrong, treating it as if it were not very serious.
Grammar: Always takes an object, and is often used in the negative: we do not condone cheating.
Patterns
- condone something
- condone someone doing something
The school does not condone bullying in any form.
I can't condone what he did, even though I understand why he was upset.
By staying silent, the manager seemed to condone the rude behavior.
Word forms
| third person singular | condones |
|---|---|
| past tense | condoned |
| past participle | condoned |
| -ing form | condoning |
Common combinations
- condone violence
- Our club will never condone violence at matches.
- condone behavior
- The company does not condone behavior of that kind.
- tacitly condone
- By saying nothing, the council tacitly condoned the practice.
- cannot condone
- I cannot condone cheating on exams.
- openly condone
- The leader openly condoned the protest.
Synonyms and how they differ
- excuse
- Excuse means to offer a reason for a fault, while condone means to let it pass without objecting.
- overlook
- Overlook can mean simply failing to notice, whereas condone implies knowing something is wrong and accepting it.
- tolerate
- Tolerate means putting up with something unwelcome, while condone adds the sense of treating it as acceptable.
- approve
- Approve is active support, whereas condone is quieter acceptance through inaction.
Opposites
Word family
- condonation noun
- the act of condoning; a rare, formal word
- condonable adjective
- able to be forgiven or overlooked
- condoned adjective
- overlooked or accepted despite being wrong
Commonly confused: condone or condemn? condone or condole?
condone vs condemn
Condemn means to criticize strongly, so it is nearly the opposite of condone.
condone vs condole
Condole means to express sympathy, as in condole with someone after a loss; it has nothing to do with accepting bad behavior.
Practice
The principal said, "We cannot ___ cheating, even when students say they were under pressure."
Choose one answer.
Condone means to accept wrong behavior without objecting, which fits a negative statement of policy. Condemn would make the sentence illogical, because it means criticize.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “condone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.