expiate

verb

ex·​pi·​ate ˈek-spē-ˌāt 

expiated; expiating

transitive verb

1

a

: to make amends for

permission to expiate their offences by their assiduous labours

—Francis Bacon

b

: to extinguish the guilt incurred by

2

obsolete : to put an end to

intransitive verb

: to make expiation

expiable

ˈek-spē-ə-bəl 

adjective

expiator

ˈek-spē-ˌā-tər 

noun

Did you know?

If you need to expiate something—that is, to atone for it—it’s sure to be something you recognize you shouldn’t have done. People expiate crimes, sins, transgressions, and the like in various ways, such as by apologizing or trying to undo damage they’ve caused. The word comes from the Latin verb expiare (“to atone for”), a combination of ex- and piare, which itself means “to atone for” as well as “to appease.” (Piare comes from pius, meaning “faithful, pious.”) The current use of expiate dates to the early 1600s, and in the early 1500s expiate could mean something else entirely: “to put an end to.” Shakespeare used it this way in Sonnet 22: “But when in thee time’s furrows I behold, / Then look I death my days should expiate.” Later, expiate was a synonym of avert, as in this biblical prophecy: “Disaster shall fall upon you, which you will not be able to expiate” (Isaiah 47:11, RSV). Vestiges of these literary uses still cling to the word, which is most often found in formal, quasi-literary contexts.

Synonyms

• atone (for)
• mend
• redeem

Examples of expiate in a Sentence

Yom Kippur is the holy day on which Jews are expected to expiate sins committed during the past year.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Sisters have come a long way, but never strayed from their mission: to promulgate universal joy and expiate stigmatic guilt. —Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2023

But now Epstein, 49, is wearing a different hat, and hoping to expiate his unintended sins against a sport that has been his lifelong passion. —David Axelrod, CNN, 1 Apr. 2023

In the former category are Ani (Katy Sullivan), who lost her legs in a car accident, and her ex-husband Eddie (David Zayas), a good-natured, unemployed truck driver who insists on caring for Ani, possibly to expiate his guilt over cheating on her when they were married. —Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Oct. 2022

Only the brilliant Richard Fleischer–Norman Wexler Mandingo in 1975 would expiate that consciousness. —Armond White, National Review, 27 Apr. 2022

In 17th-century Austria, wooden pillars were erected for the self-mortifying convenience of the flagellants who roamed Europe, whipping themselves to expiate whatever sins had brought on the Black Death. —Justin Davidson, Curbed, 15 Mar. 2021

Ridding oneself of guilt is often easier than overcoming shame, in part because our society offers many ways to expiate guilt-inducing offenses, including apologizing, paying fines, and serving jail time. —Annette Kämmerer, Scientific American, 9 Aug. 2019

Anyone who’s familiar with the world of competitive cycling knows that, for some athletes, the sport is a means of escaping, or salving, or expiating, tremendous inner pain. —Bill Gifford, Outside Online, 24 July 2019

Perhaps, but as Chief Justice John Roberts notes in his persuasive dissent, there’s no crisis that now compels the Court to expiate a long-ago mistake that Congress has the power to fix. —The Editorial Board, WSJ, 21 June 2018

Word History

Etymology

Latin expiatus, past participle of expiare to atone for, from ex- + piare to atone for, appease, from pius faithful, pious

First Known Use

circa 1500, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

expiate

verb

ex·​pi·​ate ˈek-spē-ˌāt 

expiated; expiating

: to make up for : atone

expiation

ˌek-spē-ˈā-shən

noun