as in excusable
worthy of forgiveness
accidentally spilling your coffee on my newspaper is certainly a forgivable mishap
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Recent Examples of forgivable
Philippas received an additional $750,000 forgivable loan back in 2024 to develop a new Smoque BBQ location across the street from Ovvio at 1132 Waukegan Road.
—
Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
The project promises to be completed at no cost to Ramirez or his neighbors by using a forgivable loan from the state.
—Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Maybe if Monroe and Withers had any chemistry, Reminders of Him would be more forgivable.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2026
Advertisement One section, for instance, would create a program to offer grants and forgivable loans to homeowners and landlords seeking to repair their homes.
—Connor Greene, Time, 13 Mar. 2026
Assistance is an interest-free, forgivable, self-amortizing loan in an amount subject to the city’s assessment of needs, not to exceed $24,000.
—Dallas Morning News, 27 Feb. 2026
Given that Trafford’s commitment in training and his performances on the pitch have not been adversely affected, his disappointment is understandable and, surely, forgivable.
—Sam Lee, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026
Besides being fully forgivable after 30 years, no interest is charged to the borrower and all payments are deferred, so repayment is made in full only upon ownership change prior to 30 years.
—Mars King, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
Some old-school joints use frozen or canned options year-round—a forgivable workaround when doused with enough garlic.
—Becky Duffett, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
The project promises to be completed at no cost to Ramirez or his neighbors by using a forgivable loan from the state.
—Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Maybe if Monroe and Withers had any chemistry, Reminders of Him would be more forgivable.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2026
Advertisement One section, for instance, would create a program to offer grants and forgivable loans to homeowners and landlords seeking to repair their homes.
—Connor Greene, Time, 13 Mar. 2026
Assistance is an interest-free, forgivable, self-amortizing loan in an amount subject to the city’s assessment of needs, not to exceed $24,000.
—Dallas Morning News, 27 Feb. 2026
Given that Trafford’s commitment in training and his performances on the pitch have not been adversely affected, his disappointment is understandable and, surely, forgivable.
—Sam Lee, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026
Besides being fully forgivable after 30 years, no interest is charged to the borrower and all payments are deferred, so repayment is made in full only upon ownership change prior to 30 years.
—Mars King, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
Some old-school joints use frozen or canned options year-round—a forgivable workaround when doused with enough garlic.
—Becky Duffett, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forgivable
Adjective
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The time when teachers gain popularity points for airing local team’s games, and kindly bosses understand that Thursday is an excusable sick day.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
15 Mar. 2026
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Some experts believe there are instances where the practice is excusable.—
Theara Coleman,
TheWeek,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The term midlist, in contrast, is reserved for new books for which publication seems economically justifiable but are not otherwise expected to become fast-selling bestsellers, and indeed, most new books end up being on the midlist.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
24 Apr. 2026
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Prosecutors have determined that the police shooting of a man in South San Francisco in December was legally justifiable and no charges will be filed against the involved officers.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But in this instance, the breach is entirely pardonable, because these two men, Jun and Arthur, have just gotten married.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Aug. 2025
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All this is to say that any excesses of enthusiasm for Friday (and Thursday) might seem pardonable, although each day reached the thermal pinnacle of the 80s.—
Martin Weil,
Washington Post,
19 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Forgivable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forgivable. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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