can be forgiven

idiom

—used to say that what a person does or feels is understandable or that a person should not be blamed for doing or feeling something

He can be forgiven for feeling this way after all he's been through.

Examples of can be forgiven in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Some of the pressure is structural, as traffic tickets and other court fees, which are disproportionately levied on the poor, can be forgiven only through Chapter 13. —

Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2024 You can be forgiven if Justin Brazeau was not on your radar at this time last year. —

Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 30 Aug. 2024 Lorne Michaels is a show business icon who is also nearly 80 and can be forgiven for wanting to stick around long enough to enjoy a victory lap (50 years helming a network powerhouse is nothing to sneer at, after all). —

Rebecca Jennings, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 Readers can be forgiven for thinking that the movement had reversed itself. —

Peter Greene, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for can be forgiven

Cite this Entry

Style

“Can be forgiven.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/can%20be%20forgiven. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation