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Fact vs Excuse - What's the difference?

fact | excuse |

As nouns the difference between fact and excuse

is that fact is action; the realm of action while excuse is an explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment.

As an interjection fact

is used before making a statement to introduce it as a trustworthy one.

As an initialism FACT

is federation Against Copyright Theft.

As a verb excuse is

to forgive; to pardon.

fact

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • (archaic) Action; the realm of action.
  • *
  • A wrongful or criminal deed.
  • * 1590 , (Edmund Spenser), (The Faerie Queene) , III.ix:
    • She was empassiond at that piteous act, / With zelous enuy of Greekes cruell fact , / Against that nation [...].
  • (obsolete) Feat.
  • *
  • An honest observation.
  • Something actual as opposed to invented.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers), title=(A Cuckoo in the Nest)
    • , chapter=2 citation , passage=Mother
  • Something which has become real.
  • Something concrete used as a basis for further interpretation.
  • An objective consensus on a fundamental reality that has been agreed upon by a substantial number of people.
  • Information about a particular subject, especially actual conditions and/or circumstances.

    • Antonyms

    * (Something actual) fiction

    Derived terms

    * factual * factoid * accessory after the fact * accessory before the fact * after the fact * as a matter of fact * attorney-in-fact * contrary to fact * fact-finding * fact-finder * fact of life * fact or fiction * fact sheet * finding of fact * in fact * in point of fact * * question of fact

    Related terms

    * fashion * faction * factor * factorial * factory * factotum

    See also

    * value * opinion * belief

    External links

    * *

    Interjection

    (en interjection)
  • Used before making a statement to introduce it as a trustworthy one.

    • Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * 1000 English basic words

    excuse

    English

    Verb

    (excus)
  • To forgive; to pardon.
    • I excused him his transgressions.
  • * Shakespeare
    • I must excuse what cannot be amended.
  • * Archbishop Sharp
    • A man's persuasion that a thing is duty, will not excuse him from guilt in practising it, if really and indeed it be against God's law.
  • To allow to leave.
    • May I be excused from the table?
    I excused myself from the proceedings to think over what I'd heard.
  • To provide an excuse for; to explain, with the aim of alleviating guilt or negative judgement.
    • You know he shouldn't have done it, so don't try to excuse his behavior!
  • To relieve of an imputation by apology or defense; to make apology for as not seriously evil; to ask pardon or indulgence for.
  • * Bible, 2. Corinthians xii. 19
    • Think ye that we excuse ourselves to you?

    Synonyms

    * forgive, let off the hook, let pass, pardon, unguilt

    Derived terms

    * excuse me * excuse my French

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment.
    • Tell me why you were late – and I don't want to hear any excuses !
  • (legal) A defense to a criminal or civil charge wherein the accused party admits to doing acts for which legal consequences would normally be appropriate, but asserts that special circumstances relieve that party of culpability for having done those acts.
  • An example.(attention)
    • That thing is a poor excuse for a gingerbread man. Hasn't anyone taught you how to bake?
    He's a sorry excuse of a doctor.

    Usage notes

    * We often say to make an excuse.

    Synonyms

    * (explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment ): pretext

    External links

    * * English heteronyms ----