condone

Condone, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Condoned; p. pr. & vb. n. Condoning.]

Etymology: [L. condonare, -donatum, to give up, remit, forgive; con- + donare to give. See Donate.]

1. To pardon; to forgive. A fraud which he had either concocted or condoned. W. Black. It would have been magnanimous in the men then in power to have overlooked all these things, and, condoning the politics, to have rewarded the poetry of Burns. J. C. Shairp.

2. (Law)

To pardon; to overlook the offense of; esp., to forgive for a violation of the marriage law; -- said of either the husband or the wife.

Shades of meaning

Fernald has no entry of its own for condone; he lists it under pardon.

Where he writes about it:

To condone is to put aside a recognized offense by some act which restores the offender to forfeited right or privilege, and is the act of a private individual, without legal formalities. — from pardon

Synonyms

pardon absolve acquit excuse forgive overlook pass by pass over remit

Antonyms

arraign castigate chasten chastise condemn convict correct doom punish recompense scourge sentence visit

etymology Webster’s online