forgivable
/fəˈɡɪvəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /fərˈɡɪvəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /fə(r)ˈgivəbəl also fȯrˈ-/ (ame, mw)
forgivable — adjective
- forgivablepositive
- more forgivablecomparative
- most forgivablesuperlative
1. A mistake or action that is forgivable is not serious enough to stay angry about
A mistake or action that is forgivable is not serious enough to stay angry about, especially when you understand the reason it happened.
Elena's mistake was forgivable because she had only been on the job for a week.
Being twenty minutes late is not a forgivable offence in most offices.
collocation: forgivable offence
Fatima found her son's messy room a forgivable flaw in an otherwise helpful teenager.
Amir's blunt remark was barely forgivable, though he apologised straight away.
The librarian considered the mix-up a forgivable error and did not punish the volunteer.
- excusable
More common in everyday speech; very close in meaning to forgivable
- pardonable
More formal; often used in legal or moral contexts
- understandable
Focuses on the reason being clear rather than on forgiveness itself
- unforgivable
The direct opposite; describes something too serious to forgive
- inexcusable
Emphasises that no acceptable reason exists
- unpardonable
Stronger and more formal; suggests a serious moral failure
文法句型
forgivable + noun
be + forgivable
用法筆記
Describes an action, mistake, or flaw — not a person directly. Common noun partners include mistake, error, offence, flaw. Often modified by adverbs: barely, easily, perfectly, hardly.