Meaning & use
forgiven
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“forgiven” is a form of “forgive”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Past participle of forgive: having been excused for a wrong or bad action.
Grammar: Used after have/has/had or as an adjective: She has forgiven him. / He is forgiven.
Patterns
- be forgiven for something
- have forgiven someone
- forgiven someone for something
She has forgiven her brother for losing her book.
All his mistakes were forgiven in the end.
He was forgiven for arriving late.
adjectivenot comparable
No longer blamed or angry with someone for something they did.
Grammar: Used after a linking verb: They are forgiven.
Patterns
- be forgiven
- feel forgiven
After the apology, she felt forgiven.
The debt was forgiven by the bank.
Word forms
| base form | forgive |
|---|---|
| third person singular | forgives |
| past tense | forgave |
| past participle | forgiven |
| -ing form | forgiving |
Common combinations
- be forgiven for
- She was forgiven for her rude remark.
- ask to be forgiven
- He asked to be forgiven for his mistake.
- forgiven and forgotten
- The argument is now forgiven and forgotten.
Synonyms and how they differ
- excused
- Used when someone is let off a small fault or duty; forgiven is stronger and about blame or anger.
- pardoned
- More formal or legal; forgiven is the everyday word for personal matters.
Opposites
Word family
- forgiveness noun
- The act of forgiving or the state of being forgiven.
- forgiving adjective
- Willing to forgive others.
- forgive verb
- To stop blaming or being angry with someone.
Commonly confused: forgiven or forgave?
forgiven vs forgave
Forgave is the simple past: She forgave him yesterday. Forgiven is the past participle used with have/has/had or as an adjective.
Practice
Choose the correct form: She has ______ him for his lies.
Choose one answer.
After has, we use the past participle forgiven. Forgave is the simple past and cannot follow has; forgiving is the -ing form or an adjective; forgives is present tense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “forgiven”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.