1
as in forgave
to cease to have feelings of anger or bitterness toward
he eventually pardoned his sister after she apologized
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ignored
to dismiss as of little importance
I'm willing to pardon a little sloppiness of dress in such a kind and loving person
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of pardoned
He was sentenced for federal gun charges, pardoned in May 2025.
—
Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Money laundering, bank fraud, and wire fraud were among the most frequent crimes the president pardoned.
—Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026
Join his club, pay him off and you might get pardoned.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2026
If there is resistance, another a pro-Trump mob—including many who have already been pardoned for the January 6, 2021, attack—could provide backup.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
And if removed from office, the president would lose all immunity from his actions as president and can not be pardoned by a future president.
—Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 22 Jan. 2026
After Lake was pardoned in November, the topic picked up steam and Gustafson began reaching out to prosecutors with pending cases and asked them to justify the criminal charges, two of the sources said.
—Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
The records also indicate the feds were looking at Rodríguez’s involvement in government contracts awarded to Maduro’s ally Saab — investigations that remain ongoing even after President Biden pardoned him in 2023 as part of a prisoner swap for Americans imprisoned in Venezuela.
—Jim Mustian, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
The eight-episode docuseries Back to Reality followed the family's controversy and upheaval, from Todd and Julie's time in federal prison to eventually being pardoned, released, and returning home.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Jan. 2026
Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Money laundering, bank fraud, and wire fraud were among the most frequent crimes the president pardoned.
—Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026
Join his club, pay him off and you might get pardoned.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2026
If there is resistance, another a pro-Trump mob—including many who have already been pardoned for the January 6, 2021, attack—could provide backup.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
And if removed from office, the president would lose all immunity from his actions as president and can not be pardoned by a future president.
—Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 22 Jan. 2026
After Lake was pardoned in November, the topic picked up steam and Gustafson began reaching out to prosecutors with pending cases and asked them to justify the criminal charges, two of the sources said.
—Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
The records also indicate the feds were looking at Rodríguez’s involvement in government contracts awarded to Maduro’s ally Saab — investigations that remain ongoing even after President Biden pardoned him in 2023 as part of a prisoner swap for Americans imprisoned in Venezuela.
—Jim Mustian, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
The eight-episode docuseries Back to Reality followed the family's controversy and upheaval, from Todd and Julie's time in federal prison to eventually being pardoned, released, and returning home.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pardoned
Verb
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Banfield's at-times tense testimony comes after his attorney scrutinized the county's investigation into the defendant, arguing that officials, almost since the beginning, forced a theory that the husband had catfished and killed his wife, and ignored evidence that undermined that conclusion.—
OLIVIA DIAZ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Their position ignored the Ukrainian perspective on the issue, thus excluding Ukrainians as the affected party from understanding and communicating current and historical narratives.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, was acquitted of one count of murder-for-hire last week.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The administration characterized Rittenhouse’s actions as self-defense, and he was ultimately acquitted.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Investing in domestic mining is necessary but insufficient—recycling infrastructure offers a faster, less geopolitically fraught path to supply chain resilience that has historically been overlooked by previous administrations.—
Kristen Edgreen Kaufman,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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So perhaps that’s why Wagler was overlooked.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The church released a statement about the incident on Wednesday night.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Photographs were released on Wednesday showing Good in professional portraits and with her family.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Schleicher, the Pretti family attorney, said Wednesday the earlier altercation in no way justified the shooting more than a week later.—
Michael Biesecker,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
-
After all, five years later, there is still a serious debate in this country about whether people who stormed the nation’s capital were justified.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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She was exonerated years later, when new evidence supported her story, inspiring a courtroom drama starring Meryl Streep.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
24 Jan. 2026
-
In a highly unusual decision, the state's highest criminal court has exonerated Carmen Meija of the infanticide that resulted in her conviction from a Travis County jury in 2005.—
Tony Plohetski,
Austin American Statesman,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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With the new headquarters, Chan explained, Bonhams hope to widen their base of collectors through their larger exhibition space and programming around how to start or improve a collection across art, jewelry, antiquities, wine and other collectibles.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
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Bryan Hoyos, the mill’s director of North American marketing, explained how HV100 utilizes variocut technology to create varying staples lengths of Tencel fiber.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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When an Amazon software developer appeared in the jury pool that day, he was excused.—
Justin Wingerter,
Denver Post,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Twigg accordingly excused McKinley.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pardoned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pardoned. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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