exonerate

verb

ex·on·er·ate | \ ig-ˈzä-nə-ˌrāt

, eg-\

exonerated; exonerating

Definition of exonerate

transitive verb

1 : to relieve of a responsibility, obligation, or hardship

2 : to clear from accusation or blame

Other Words from exonerate Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Where does exonerate come from? Example Sentences Learn More about exonerate

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Other Words from exonerate

exoneration \ ig-ˌzä-nə-ˈrā-shən

, eg- \ noun

exonerative \ ig-ˈzä-nə-ˌrā-tiv

, eg- \ adjective

Synonyms & Antonyms for exonerate

Synonyms

absolve, acquit, clear, exculpate, vindicate

Antonyms

criminate, incriminate

Choose the Right Synonym for exonerate

exculpate, absolve, exonerate, acquit, vindicate mean to free from a charge. exculpate implies a clearing from blame or fault often in a matter of small importance. exculpating himself from the charge of overenthusiasm absolve implies a release either from an obligation that binds the conscience or from the consequences of disobeying the law or committing a sin. cannot be absolved of blame exonerate implies a complete clearance from an accusation or charge and from any attendant suspicion of blame or guilt. exonerated by the investigation acquit implies a formal decision in one's favor with respect to a definite charge. voted to acquit the defendant vindicate may refer to things as well as persons that have been subjected to critical attack or imputation of guilt, weakness, or folly, and implies a clearing effected by proving the unfairness of such criticism or blame. her judgment was vindicated

Where does exonerate come from?

We won't blame you if you don't know the origins of today's word. Exonerate derives via Middle English from the past participle of the Latin verb exonerare, meaning "to unburden," formed by combining the prefix ex- with onus, meaning "load" or "burden" (onus itself lives on with that meaning in English). In its earliest uses, dating from the 16th century, exonerate was used in the context of physical burdens—a ship, for example, could be exonerated of its cargo when it was unloaded. Later it was used in reference to any kind of burden, until a more specific sense developed, meaning "to relieve (someone) of blame."

Examples of exonerate in a Sentence

the results of the DNA fingerprinting finally exonerated the man, but only after he had wasted 10 years of his life in prison

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2002, they were exonerated and released from prison. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Donald Trump, opera star? Maybe so, in Anthony Davis’ ‘Central Park Five’," 9 June 2019 Mueller, whose nearly-500-page report failed to charge the president with a crime but also did not exonerate him, has steadfastly refused to explicitly opine on whether Trump should be impeached. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "In the Trump era, the lawyer jokes are on us," 31 May 2019 Image: Getty The Mueller report has exonerated President Trump and his campaign of Russian collusion. — Yuri Vanetik, WSJ, "Russiagate’s Collateral Victims," 11 Apr. 2019 Nkrumah's client, Jamal Russell, was eventually convicted on a drug charge and exonerated on a weapons count. — Larry Neumeister, Fox News, "Lawyer tries Trump argument that flippers should be outlawed," 28 Aug. 2018 Durbin also asked if Kavanaugh thought the testimony of his friend Mark Judge would help exonerate him. — Ella Nilsen, Vox, "A Democratic senator tried to get Brett Kavanaugh to commit to an FBI investigation. He would not.," 27 Sep. 2018 He was sentenced on Oct. Oct. 21, 1988, but was later exonerated after the true rapist turned himself in after reading a series of stories chronicling Green's life after his release. — Justin Madden, cleveland.com, "Once wrongly convicted, Michael Green takes oath as auxiliary police officer in Maple Heights," 5 Apr. 2018 Consider the battery of attorneys who worked so hard to exonerate O.J. Simpson. — James Atlas, Town & Country, "The Year of the Celebrity Super Lawyer," 3 Dec. 2018 Why did Ben’s mom give the affidavit to Thorpe to use as leverage to get Bass Industries instead of taking it to the D.A. herself to exonerate Ben? — Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, "Every Single Episode of Gossip Girl, Ranked," 19 Sep. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'exonerate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.