atone
- 01 C1 Advanced
to do something to show you are sorry for doing something wrong in the past.
to make reparation or compensation for an offense, crime, or error. Intransitive; almost always followed by the preposition 'for'.
Simple“He tried to atone for his past mistakes by helping the community.”
In context“The former executive spent his retirement working for charities in a sincere effort to atone for the unethical practices of his youth.”
UsageUsually takes the preposition 'for' followed by the noun phrase representing the wrongdoing.
Teacher's tipWhile the word has religious roots, it is commonly used in secular contexts to discuss moral responsibility and personal growth.
PitfallHe wanted to atone his sins. He wanted to atone for his sins.In modern English, 'atone' is an intransitive verb and requires the preposition 'for' before the mistake or sin being addressed.
Synonyms - 02 C2 Proficiency
to bring people together or make them agree again.
to bring into concord or to reconcile parties. This transitive use is rare in modern prose and is found primarily in historical or literary texts.
Simple“The king sought to atone the two warring families through a royal marriage.”
In context“In the final act of the play, the hero attempts to atone the rival factions, though his efforts ultimately prove tragic.”
UsageUsed transitively in this sense, taking a direct object representing the parties being reconciled.
Teacher's tipStudents should be aware of this sense when reading Shakespeare or early modern literature, but should avoid using it in their own writing.
From atone (“reconciled”), from Middle English atone, attone, atoon (“agreed”, literally “at one”), equivalent to at + one. Compare Latin adūnō (“I unite, make one”) for the similar formation. Regarding the different phonological development of atone and one, see the note in one.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.