atone
atone Lexical Profile
atone Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To make amends or reparation for a wrong, injury, or sin (usually followed by "for").
"He volunteered at the community shelter to atone for his past mistakes."
To reconcile or bring into harmony (archaic).
"The mediator sought to atone the two rival factions before the dispute escalated."
Word Nuance & Usage
In modern usage, "atone" is almost exclusively an intransitive verb followed by the preposition "for" (e.g., "to atone for a mistake"), whereas synonyms like "expiate" or "redeem" take a direct object.
• Rhymes for atone
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the 16th century as a back-formation from "atonement," which derived from the Middle English phrase "at on" (meaning "at one" or "in harmony"). Thus, to atone originally meant to bring two estranged parties back into unity before evolving into the sense of making amends for a wrong.