Forgive Is Literally to Give Away
To forgive is to stop holding a wrong against someone. The word is built from give, and forgiving a debt is the plainest example.
To forgive is to give up your claim against someone who has wronged you. The verb is *give* with an intensifying prefix, and the money sense shows the mechanism plainly: to forgive a debt is to hand it back, cancelled. Forgiving an insult works the same way, minus the paperwork.
- To stop feeling anger about a wrong. *She forgave him eventually.*
- To cancel a debt. *The loan was forgiven.*
- Forgive me — a polite opening. *Forgive me for asking.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | forgive | I forgive you. |
| Past | forgave | She forgave him. |
| Participle | forgiven | All is forgiven. |
| Noun | forgiveness | Ask for forgiveness. |
| Adjective | forgiving | A forgiving surface. |
How it is used in a sentence
- He never forgave the betrayal.Forgive takes the wrong or the person.
- Part of the debt was forgiven.Standard in finance.
- It is a forgiving racket for beginners.Forgiving of equipment means it tolerates mistakes.
Forgive, pardon and excuse
- Forgive — release your own resentment
- Pardon — an official act cancelling a punishment
- Excuse — accept a reason, so no blame attaches
- Absolve — declare someone free of guilt
- Condone — accept a wrong without objecting, which is not the same as forgiving
From Old English *forgiefan*, from *for-* (completely, away) and *giefan* (to give). German *vergeben* is built the same way, and so is the idea in most European languages.
Forgive or condone?
Forgiving accepts that a wrong happened and lets go of it. Condoning treats the wrong as acceptable. They are often confused in argument.
Forgave or forgiven?
Forgave is the simple past; forgiven follows have or was: I forgave her, she has been forgiven.