Master confusing words with ease
Forbear vs. Forebear
Forbear
/fɔːˈbɛː/Examples:
He decided to forbear from commenting on her mistake.She had to forbear her laughter during the solemn ceremony.I must forbear any more desserts if I want to stay healthy.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Forebear
/ˈfɔːbeə/Examples:
She discovered her great-grandfather was a famous forebear.Ancient artifacts connected us to our distant forebears.Her forebears played a pivotal role in the town's history.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Forbear means to refrain from doing something; its a verb. Remember forbear has the word bear in it, and to bear' something can mean to endure, which is related to restraining oneself.
- Forebear is a noun meaning ancestor; fore- is a prefix indicating before in time, which helps you remember that forebear refers to someone from your past.
- If youre talking about holding back or refraining, youre thinking of the action and hence forbear. If youre talking about family lineage, youre thinking of forebear.
- Notice that forebear has the prefix fore, which you can associate with before as in ancestral times before you.
- If theres no e before bear, it means youre restraining from doing something.
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