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Pardon vs Excused - What's the difference?

pardon | excused |

As a noun pardon

is pardon.

As a verb excused is

(excuse).

pardon

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • Forgiveness for an offence.
  • * 1748 : Samuel Richardson, Clarissa
  • a step, that could not be taken with the least hope of ever obtaining pardon from or reconciliation with any of my friends;
  • (legal) An order that releases a convicted criminal without further punishment, prevents future punishment, or (in some jurisdictions) removes an offence from a person's criminal record, as if it had never been committed.
  • * 1974 : President Gerald Ford, Proclamation 4311
  • I... have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States ...

    Derived terms

    * I beg your pardon

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To forgive.
  • * 1599 : (William Shakespeare),
  • O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, / That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!
  • * 1815 : (Jane Austen), (Emma)
  • I hope you will not find he has outstepped the truth more than may be pardoned , in consideration of the motive.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 , passage=In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned .}}
  • To refrain from exacting as a penalty.
  • * Shakespeare
  • I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it.
  • (legal) To grant an official pardon for a crime; unguilt.
  • * 1900', , ' (The House Behind the Cedars) , Chapter I,
  • The murderer, he recalled, had been tried and sentenced to imprisonment for life, but was pardoned by a merciful governor after serving a year of his sentence.

    Derived terms

    * pardonable * pardoner * pardon me * pardon my French * unpardonable

    Interjection

  • Pardon? , What did you say?, Can you say that again?

    excused

    English

    Verb

    (head)
  • (excuse)

  • 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