These words mean to free a person from the consequences of his guilt or to pass over a blameworthy action without censure or punishment. Pardon is a more formal term than forgive or excuse , and in its strictest sense implies the authority to waive punishment in an official way: unjustly convicted of murder, he was pardoned after fresh evidence had come to light.

• A wife forgives an unfaithful husband; A saint forgives his enemies.

Excuse is to forgive a minor offence, breach of etiquette, etc.: We excused his brusqueness because we knew he was under a severe strain. Excuse may also be used of larger offences that are not criminal or of a personal nature: The company excused the watchman for falling asleep while on duty. Pardon , forgive and excuse are all used in polite exchanges to convey regret for having caused slight inconvenience to another. In this usage, pardon and forgive tend to sound stilted and sententious and are used less often than excuse : to excuse oneself for addressing a stranger with a request for directions.

Condone and overlook mean to pardon or forgive tacitly, by accepting, without redress, actions and situations that merit censure. Condone suggests the toleration of more serious offences than does overlook – offences of a public nature, such as breaches of the law: Child labour is still condoned in some countries by officials who consider themselves upright and conscientious. One also condones faults that are similar to one’s own: A man who cheats on his income tax and on his expense account tends to condone these practices in his friends. Overlook , a less strong word than condone , suggests an indulgent disregard of unimportant lapses in behaviour: to overlook a child’s sloppy table manners; to overlook a bright student’s failure to complete a project on time.

Remit , once a close synonym of pardon , is the most formal of all these terms and its use is limited to ecclesiastical and legal contexts: to remit sins; to remit a fine for disturbing the peace.