What does forgivable mean?
Forgivable is an adjective describing actions, faults, or offences that can be pardoned or excused. It does not deny that a wrong occurred; rather, it judges the wrong as one that need not be permanently resented. A forgotten appointment, a tactless remark made under stress, or an honest error of judgement may all be described as forgivable, especially when met with apology or remorse. The word appears frequently in moral, religious, and interpersonal discussion, where it marks the boundary between faults people are expected to overlook and those with lasting consequences. Its connotations are generally mild and humane — calling something forgivable signals understanding rather than condemnation. Common pairings include 'easily forgivable' and 'a forgivable offence'. The word derives from the verb forgive, whose roots lie in Old English 'forgiefan', meaning to give up or grant fully. As a term, forgivable remains useful precisely because everyday life supplies a steady supply of small wrongs that deserve exactly this measured verdict.
adjectiveForgivable describes an offence, mistake, or wrongdoing that can be pardoned or excused; capable of being forgiven.
- Of an action or fault: able to be pardoned or excused.
- (Of conduct generally) deserving tolerance rather than resentment.
"Her momentary lapse in judgement was forgivable, given the pressure she was under."
"His forgetting her birthday was annoying, but surely forgivable."
"In most legal and moral traditions, an honest mistake is considered forgivable if acknowledged with genuine remorse."
Forgivable traces back through Old English 'forgiefan' — to 'give forth' or 'give up' entirely, meaning that when you forgive someone, you literally hand the grudge away.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of forgivable
Forgivable is formed from the verb forgive plus the suffix -able, indicating capacity to be acted upon. Forgive descends from Old English 'forgiefan', composed of 'for-' (used here as an intensifying prefix meaning 'completely' or 'forth') and 'giefan', meaning to give; its original sense involved giving up or granting something wholly. The adjective forgivable emerged later, following the general medieval and early modern pattern of deriving -able adjectives from common verbs. Related forms appear across other Germanic and Romance languages, including cognates such as 'pardonable', built from the parallel Romance root pardon.
Related word forms
How forgivable is actually used
Forgivable carries no inherent formality and works equally well in everyday conversation and formal writing. It often implies mitigation — the wrong was real, but circumstances lessen its weight. The word sits on a moral spectrum: pairing it with adverbs like 'barely' or 'hardly' signals borderline culpability, while 'entirely' or 'readily' signals leniency.
Easily confused with forgivable
Forgivable describes something that merits forgiveness, while forgiving describes a person who readily grants it.