
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
To condone something that is considered wrong is to forgive or approve it, or to allow it to continue.
// We cannot condone that kind of behavior.
See the entry >
"... remaining quiet is the same as condoning bad behavior. Choose to say or do something, as this will help hold people accountable for their words and actions and encourage others to follow your lead." — Sherri Gordon, Health.com, 17 Sept. 2024
If you're among folks who don't condone even what they consider minor usage slips, you might want to hew to the more established meaning of condone. Although English speakers sometimes use condone to mean "encourage" or "approve of" (as in "officials accused of condoning corruption"), some people feel strongly that it should only mean something closer to "pardon" or "overlook." Condone comes from the Latin verb condonare, which means "to absolve." Condonare in turn combines the Latin prefix com-, indicating thoroughness, and donare, meaning "to give." Not surprisingly, donare is also the source of our words donate and pardon.
4.5
11891,189 ratings
To condone something that is considered wrong is to forgive or approve it, or to allow it to continue.
// We cannot condone that kind of behavior.
See the entry >
"... remaining quiet is the same as condoning bad behavior. Choose to say or do something, as this will help hold people accountable for their words and actions and encourage others to follow your lead." — Sherri Gordon, Health.com, 17 Sept. 2024
If you're among folks who don't condone even what they consider minor usage slips, you might want to hew to the more established meaning of condone. Although English speakers sometimes use condone to mean "encourage" or "approve of" (as in "officials accused of condoning corruption"), some people feel strongly that it should only mean something closer to "pardon" or "overlook." Condone comes from the Latin verb condonare, which means "to absolve." Condonare in turn combines the Latin prefix com-, indicating thoroughness, and donare, meaning "to give." Not surprisingly, donare is also the source of our words donate and pardon.
2,547 Listeners
11,282 Listeners
2,822 Listeners
1,363 Listeners
1,070 Listeners
857 Listeners
512 Listeners
2,303 Listeners
845 Listeners
429 Listeners
408 Listeners
589 Listeners
581 Listeners
136 Listeners
79 Listeners