Condone Meaning
/kənˈdoʊn/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo forgive, excuse or overlook (something that is considered morally wrong, offensive, or generally disliked).
verbTo allow, accept or permit (something that is considered morally wrong, offensive, or generally disliked).
Sentence Examples
The Catholic Church doesn't condone the use of condoms.
I can't condone what you did.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
Our ethics policy does not ____ any form of cheating on exams.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The strict school will never ____ cheating on the important final exams.
Word Origin & History
Learned borrowing from Latin condōnāre (“to forgive”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"‘Then the father has a great fight with his terrible conscience,’ said Munday with granite seriousness. ‘Should he make a row with the police[…]? Or should he say nothing about it and condone brutality for fear of appearing in the newspapers?"
— 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 18, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
"Rule-utilitarianism is unlikely to condone torturing a child, but it does imply that the torturing of a child is less evil if the torturer shares his pleasure with other sadists-perhaps by inviting an audience, or broadcasting it on the Internet."
— 2001, Will Kymlicka, Contemporary Political Philosophy, Oxford University Press, page 29:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Our ethics policy does not ____ any form of cheating on exams.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The strict school will never ____ cheating on the important final exams.