forgiving

/fəˈɡɪvɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /fərˈɡɪvɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · /fər-ˈgi-viŋ fȯr-/ (ame, mw)

forgiving — adjective

  • forgivingpositive
  • more forgivingcomparative
  • most forgivingsuperlative

1. Ready to stop being angry with someone who has done something wrong, instead of

1.形容詞B2
釋義

Ready to stop being angry with someone who has done something wrong, instead of wanting to punish them.

例句

Ilan was surprisingly forgiving after his brother crashed the car into the garage door.

forgiving + after + clause describing the offence

Sayaka has a forgiving nature and rarely stays angry with her colleagues for long.

collocation: a forgiving nature / personality

同義詞
  • merciful

    more formal; often used of people in power who could punish but choose not to

  • lenient

    focuses on giving a lighter punishment rather than fully letting go of anger

  • tolerant

    broader — accepting of differences, not specifically about wrongdoing

反義詞
  • unforgiving

    direct opposite — refuses to let go of anger over a wrong

  • vindictive

    stronger — actively wants to harm the person who did wrong

文法句型

forgiving + of + noun

用法筆記

Often describes a person, character trait, or audience's reaction. Distinguish from sense 2 — this sense is about people choosing not to hold a wrongdoing against someone, while sense 2 is about objects or systems that tolerate mistakes.

常見錯誤

❌I forgive him to be forgiving.
✅I try to be forgiving towards him.
💡'forgiving' is an adjective describing a quality, not a verb action; pair it with 'be' and a preposition like 'towards' or 'of'.

2. Of an object, surface, or system: built so that small mistakes by the user cause

2.形容詞C1
釋義

Of an object, surface, or system: built so that small mistakes by the user cause little or no damage to the result.

例句

Beginner skiers should start on a wide, forgiving slope with soft powder snow.

collocation: a forgiving slope / surface

Reuben chose a forgiving cake recipe that still tastes good if you overmix the flour.

forgiving + recipe / dough where small errors don't ruin the result

同義詞
  • tolerant

    common synonym for materials and equipment that accept variation

  • easy-going

    informal; usually describes processes or methods rather than materials

反義詞
  • unforgiving

    direct opposite — small mistakes cause big problems

  • demanding

    requires high precision; less specific than 'unforgiving'

用法筆記

Subject is usually an object, material, surface, sport, recipe, or piece of equipment — not a person. Distinguish from sense 1, where the subject is a person or their character.

常見錯誤

❌My grandmother is a forgiving recipe.
✅My grandmother's recipe is forgiving.
💡the recipe is forgiving, not the person; this sense describes things, not people.