Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

forgiveness

/fɚˈɡɪvnəs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.87 in modern English

Syllables: for-give-ness
IPA: /fɚˈɡɪvnəs/

18

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The action of forgiving.

Uncountable

noun

A readiness to forgive.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"He begged for forgiveness after being caught stealing from the shop."
"At the end of a week, she could bear the suspense no longer, and so went humbly to her old home and sought forgiveness."
"It was not a war party, so it surely was men who came to ask for peace and forgiveness."
"But Oh! what anguish can more poignant be Than of the heart which vainly longs to plead Forgiveness from the dead? Shall the dead heed?"
"Some devout Christians are among the most fervent advocates of the death penalty, contradicting Jesus Christ and misinterpreting Holy Scriptures and numerous examples of mercy. We remember God’s forgiveness of Cain, who killed Abel, and the adulterer King David, who arranged the killing of Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, his lover."
"The Basque terrorist group Eta, which killed more than 800 people during its four-decade armed campaign, has apologised for the suffering it caused and asked for the forgiveness of victims and their families as it prepares to dissolve."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *pér Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *pró Proto-Indo-European *pro- Proto-Germanic *fra- Proto-Indo-European *gʰebʰ- Proto-Germanic *gebaną ▲ Late Latin perdōnōcalq. Proto-Germanic *fragebaną Old English forġiefan Proto-Germanic *-in- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Old English forġiefnes Middle English forgiveness English forgiveness From Middle English forgiveness, forgifnes, from Old English forġiefnes. By surface analysis, forgive + -ness. Cognate with Dutch vergiffenis.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: forgiveness,forgifnes, forġiefnes

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /fɚˈɡɪvnəs/
British English: /fəˈɡɪvnəs/

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

forgivenesses (plural)

Derived Forms

preforgiveness unforgiveness

Phrases

it's better to ask forgiveness than permission it's easier to ask forgiveness than to get permission

Frequently Paired Words

pardon grace remission absolution amnesty oblivion indulgence reprieve

Synonyms

remission mercy forgiveness pardon

Questions

How do you pronounce forgiveness?: The recorded pronunciation is /fɚˈɡɪvnəs/.
What does forgiveness mean?: The action of forgiving.
Where does forgiveness come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce forgiveness

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