No one will blame you for having questions about the origins of exculpatory. The adjective comes from a combination of the prefix ex-, meaning "out of" or "away from," and the Latin noun culpa, which means "blame" or "guilt." Something exculpatory, then, frees one from accusations. Culpa has given English a number of other words, including the verb exculpate ("to clear from alleged fault or guilt"). The related but lesser-known terms inculpate ("to incriminate") and inculpatory ("incriminating") are antonyms of exculpate and exculpatory.Culpable is a synonym of blameworthy, and mea culpa refers to a formal acknowledgment of personal fault or error.
Examples of exculpatory in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebThe commission changed that policy under Albritton and voted 4-0 last year to adopt an advisory opinion that the commission was not required or permitted to disclose exculpatory information.—Mike Cason | McAson@al.com, al, 26 June 2023 Gay has argued that his former attorney, Daye Shinn, took the role under fraudulent circumstances, advised him to admit to incriminating details and failed to introduce exculpatory evidence.—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2023 See all Example Sentences for exculpatory
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exculpatory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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