forgiveness
gb/fɚɡˈɪvnəs/ us/fɚɡˈɪvnəs/
B1
Inglés
~ 5800
Acepciones
0 acepciones
Sustantivo
B1
action
1
decision to stop being angry
The act of stopping your anger toward someone who did something bad to you and not wanting to hurt or punish them anymore.
Patrón de uso:
[someone] asks for / offers / grants forgiveness for [something]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes say *"ask a forgiveness"* or *"ask forgiveness to him"*. The correct phrases are *"ask for forgiveness"* (use "for") and *"ask him for forgiveness"* (object + "for"). Another confusion is using *"sorry"* as a noun, e.g. *"I asked for sorry"*; instead say *"I asked for forgiveness"* or *"I said I was sorry."*
Sinónimos
pardon (Often slightly more formal or legal; can sound less emotional than “forgiveness.”)
|
mercy (Emphasizes kindness and not punishing, sometimes when punishment is deserved.)
Antónimos
resentment (Refers to continued anger and bitterness instead of letting go.)
|
revenge (Actively trying to hurt someone back instead of forgiving them.)
Colocaciones
ask for forgiveness
|offer forgiveness
|grant forgiveness
|seek forgiveness
|beg for forgiveness
|find forgiveness
Temas
emotions
|relationships
|conflict
|values
Ejemplos
- After months of silence, he finally asked her for forgiveness.
- Her forgiveness allowed the family to heal after the argument.
- They met in person so he could offer a sincere apology and seek her forgiveness.
- Forgiveness does not mean forgetting what happened, but choosing not to stay angry.
- The letter was a plea for forgiveness, not an attempt to make excuses.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- She asked her friend for forgiveness after she shouted at him.
- He gave his brother forgiveness and they became close again.
- Forgiveness can make you feel calm instead of angry.
- The child cried and begged for forgiveness from his mother.
- Forgiveness is important if you want to fix a relationship.
Sustantivo
B2
property
2
quality of being forgiving
A kind way of thinking where you are ready to forgive people instead of staying angry with them.
Patrón de uso:
[someone] shows / has [great] forgiveness toward [someone]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes confuse the trait *"forgiveness"* with the adjective *"forgiving"*. Use *"forgiveness"* for the idea or quality ("Her forgiveness is amazing") and *"forgiving"* to describe a person ("She is very forgiving").
Sinónimos
leniency (Suggests being less strict or less severe in judging or punishing than expected.)
|
compassion (Stresses understanding and caring for others’ pain, which often leads to forgiveness.)
Antónimos
vindictiveness (Describes a strong desire to hurt or punish someone who has caused harm.)
|
harshness (Implies strict, severe judgment without much willingness to forgive.)
Colocaciones
capacity for forgiveness
|spirit of forgiveness
|act of forgiveness
|message of forgiveness
|extraordinary forgiveness
Temas
emotions
|personality
|values
|relationships
Ejemplos
- Her forgiveness and patience with her children are remarkable.
- The speech called for forgiveness and unity after years of conflict.
- He admired his grandfather’s deep forgiveness, even toward people who had betrayed him.
- Forgiveness is a central value in many families and communities.
- In moments like this, forgiveness can be more powerful than punishment.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- Her forgiveness makes it easy to talk about mistakes.
- His heart is full of love and forgiveness.
- The teacher showed forgiveness and did not punish the students.
- Forgiveness can help people live in peace.
- We need more kindness and forgiveness in the world.
Sustantivo
B2
state
3
God’s or a deity’s pardon
In religion, when God or another god takes away a person’s sin or blame, so the person is no longer guilty in a spiritual way.
Patrón de uso:
[someone] seeks / receives / prays for forgiveness of [sins]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes drop the preposition in the phrase *"forgiveness of sins"*, saying *"forgiveness sins"*. The common religious collocation is *"forgiveness of sins"* or *"forgiveness for your sins"*.
Sinónimos
absolution (A religious term, especially in Christianity, for official declaration that sins are forgiven.)
Antónimos
condemnation (Religious or moral judgment that someone is guilty and deserves punishment.)
|
damnation (In some religions, eternal punishment instead of being forgiven.)
Colocaciones
forgiveness of sins
|divine forgiveness
|God’s forgiveness
|seek forgiveness from God
|prayer for forgiveness
Temas
religion
|values
|morality
Ejemplos
- He went to the temple to pray for forgiveness of his sins.
- Many religious traditions teach that forgiveness comes through sincere repentance.
- She believed that God’s forgiveness gave her a chance to begin again.
- The priest spoke about the power of divine forgiveness during the service.
- For them, forgiveness from God was more important than human approval.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- He asked God for forgiveness for his lies.
- The church teaches about the forgiveness of sins.
- They pray every day for God’s love and forgiveness.
- She believed she had received God’s forgiveness.
- In this religion, forgiveness is possible if you are truly sorry.
Sustantivo
formal
B2
action
4
official cancellation of a debt
When a bank, government, or other group decides that you do not have to pay back some or all of your debt or tax.
Patrón de uso:
[authority] grants / offers [loan/debt] forgiveness to [someone]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes say *"forgive the loan"* when they mean the official policy. In formal or news-style English, the common phrase is *"loan forgiveness"* or *"debt forgiveness"*, especially for large groups of people.
Sinónimos
cancellation (A general word for ending a payment or obligation so it no longer exists.)
|
write-off (A financial term for treating a debt as uncollectable and removing it from accounts; more technical than "forgiveness.")
Antónimos
repayment (Paying back money that is owed instead of having it cancelled.)
|
collection (Efforts to make borrowers pay debts, the opposite of cancelling them.)
Colocaciones
loan forgiveness
|student loan forgiveness
|debt forgiveness
|mortgage forgiveness
|loan forgiveness program
Temas
business
|economy
|law
|education
|finance
Ejemplos
- The government announced a new student loan forgiveness program for low-income graduates.
- After the disaster, the bank offered partial mortgage forgiveness to affected homeowners.
- Debt forgiveness was a key part of the country’s economic recovery plan.
- Activists are calling for complete loan forgiveness for medical debt.
- Tax forgiveness was granted to businesses that kept all of their employees.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The bank gave him loan forgiveness after he lost his job.
- Student loan forgiveness is an important topic in the news.
- Debt forgiveness can help poor countries start again.
- She hopes for loan forgiveness so she can buy a home.
- The new law includes tax forgiveness for small companies.
Sustantivo
technical
C1
property
5
design’s tolerance of user error
In design or sports, how well a tool or system still works when a person does not use it perfectly or makes a mistake.
Patrón de uso:
[product/system] offers / has [a lot of] forgiveness for [user errors]
Error frecuente:
Learners may try to read this sense emotionally, as if the machine "forgives" people in a human way. In technical talk, *"forgiveness"* here is about tolerance for error in performance, not feelings or morality.
Sinónimos
tolerance (General technical term for how much error or variation a system can accept without failing.)
|
margin of error (Amount of error that can occur without causing serious problems; not limited to user mistakes.)
Antónimos
sensitivity (Describes systems that react strongly to small errors, the opposite of forgiving designs.)
|
rigidity (Very strict limits for correct use, with little room for user error.)
Colocaciones
built-in forgiveness
|design forgiveness
|club with a lot of forgiveness
|forgiveness in the system
|high forgiveness rating
Temas
technology
|engineering
|sports
Ejemplos
- The new driver-assistance system has more forgiveness for minor steering errors.
- These golf clubs offer extra forgiveness, making them ideal for beginners.
- Good user-interface design builds in forgiveness so that one wrong click does not cause serious problems.
- We designed the process with enough forgiveness to handle late data and small input mistakes.
- A lack of forgiveness in the controls makes the machine hard for new operators to use.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- This golf club has a lot of forgiveness, so bad hits still go straight.
- Good software should have some forgiveness for user mistakes.
- The engineer added more forgiveness to the system to make it safer.
- Because of the forgiveness in the design, new workers can learn quickly.
- A product with more forgiveness is easier for people to use.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
forgiveness
AFI
GB/fɚɡˈɪvnəs/
US/fɚɡˈɪvnəs/
Sílabas y acento
for - give - ness (3 sílabas)
Stress on 1st syllable (for)
Formas de la palabra
Noun
- Base: forgiveness
- Plural: forgiveness
Familia de palabras
Core family
forgive
verb B1
forgiving
adjective
Related words
forgivable
adjective
forgiver
noun
Negative and opposite forms
unforgiving
adjective
unforgivable
adjective
Advanced or less common
forgivingly
adverb
unforgivably
adverb
Expresiones
ask for forgiveness
1/ˈæsk fɚ fɚɡˈɪvnəs/
fixed phrase
request that someone forgives you
To tell someone you are sorry and want them to forgive you for something you did.
Ejemplos
- He finally called his sister to ask for forgiveness.
- Sometimes it is hard to ask for forgiveness, even when you know you were wrong.
- You should ask for forgiveness as soon as you realize your mistake.
beg for forgiveness
1/bˈɛɡ fɚ fɚɡˈɪvnəs/
fixed phrase
urgently ask to be forgiven
To ask in a very strong, emotional way for someone to forgive you.
Ejemplos
- He knelt down and begged for forgiveness, tears running down his face.
- After the scandal, the politician went on TV to beg for forgiveness from the public.
debt forgiveness
1/dˈɛt fɚɡˈɪvnəs/
fixed phrase
formal
cancellation of a debt
When a person, company, or country is told it does not have to pay back some or all of the money it owes.
Ejemplos
- International lenders agreed to partial debt forgiveness for the struggling nation.
- Debt forgiveness can give poor countries a chance to rebuild their economies.
forgiveness of sins
1/fɚɡˈɪvnəs əv sˈɪnz/
fixed phrase
religious removal of sin
In religion, when God or another god takes away a person’s sins so they are no longer guilty.
Ejemplos
- The sermon focused on the forgiveness of sins through repentance.
- In this faith, baptism is a sign of the forgiveness of sins.
grant forgiveness
1/ɡɹˈænt fɚɡˈɪvnəs/
fixed phrase
formal
formally decide to forgive
To decide and say that you forgive someone, often in a serious or official situation.
Ejemplos
- The victim’s family chose to grant forgiveness instead of asking for a harsh sentence.
- Only the board can grant forgiveness for this kind of policy violation.
loan forgiveness
1/lˈoʊn fɚɡˈɪvnəs/
fixed phrase
formal
cancellation of a loan debt
When a bank or government decides that you do not have to pay back some or all of a loan.
Ejemplos
- The new law expands loan forgiveness for public service workers.
- Many graduates are counting on loan forgiveness to manage their debt.
seek forgiveness
1/sˈik fɚɡˈɪvnəs/
fixed phrase
try to obtain forgiveness
To try to get someone, or God, to forgive you, often over a period of time.
Ejemplos
- He spent years seeking forgiveness from his daughter for leaving when she was young.
- In many religions, believers seek forgiveness through prayer and good deeds.