Basic Details
Word: Forgiveness
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The act of forgiving; letting go of your anger towards someone who has hurt or wronged you.
Synonyms: pardon, mercy, compassion
Antonyms: resentment, blame, revenge
How to Spell Forgiveness
Syllables: for - give - ness
Tricky part: It starts with for, not fore. The e of give stays, and ness ends in a double s.
Watch out for: forgivness, foregiveness, forgivenes
Memory tip: Keep give whole inside the word: for + give + ness. Nothing is dropped.
Usage Examples
Example 1: He wrote a short note to his friend asking for forgiveness.
Example 2: Her forgiveness meant more to him than any present.
Example 3: At the end of Paryushana, Jains ask forgiveness from everyone with the words Micchami Dukkadam.
Fun Fact
Forgive was built in Old English from for and give. Here for probably adds the sense of completely, so to forgive was to give up your anger completely.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly and one is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. gratitude 2. humility 3. sincerity 4. forgivness
a) honesty in what you say and feel
b) letting go of anger towards someone who wronged you
c) the feeling of being thankful
d) not thinking you are better than others
Show answer
b) letting go of anger towards someone who wronged you. Forgiveness keeps the e of give; forgivness has lost it.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word forgiveness as used in the sentence:
The old fisherman asked for forgiveness after shouting at the boys who tangled his nets.
a) protection
b) punishment
c) pardon
d) payment
Show answer
c) pardon. Asking for forgiveness is asking to be pardoned for what you did.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
Gandhi believed that ingeforvess was a sign of strength, not weakness.
a) foreignness
b) forgetfulness
c) fierceness
d) forgiveness
Show answer
d) forgiveness. The v in the jumble settles it: none of the other three words has one.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these shows forgiveness?
a) telling everyone about a friend's mistake
b) refusing to speak to a friend again
c) accepting a friend's apology and moving on
d) asking a friend to pay you back
Show answer
c) accepting a friend's apology and moving on
2. Someone who asks for forgiveness is usually ____.
a) sorry for something they did
b) looking for a lost book
c) hoping to win a big prize
d) angry with a close friend
Show answer
a) sorry for something they did
