1. a person who grants or gives pardons or forgiveness
2. in medieval times, a church official authorized to sell indulgences
Usage: historical

Examples

• The king was known as a generous pardoner of minor offenses.
• She acted as a pardoner, forgiving those who had wronged her.
• The medieval pardoner traveled from town to town selling indulgences.
• Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales features a corrupt pardoner as one of the pilgrims.
• The pardoner claimed his relics could absolve sins for the right price.
• Many criticized the pardoner’s practice of selling forgiveness for money.