as in forgiveness
release from the guilt or penalty of an offense
the jury's verdict of "not guilty" was absolution in the eyes of the law, but the verdict would always be "guilty" in the court of public opinion
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Recent Examples of absolution
Instead, her transition is framed as an absolution, used as a tool for deception, and made to be the reason for her redemption and saint-like anointing at the end.
—
Samantha Allen, Them, 3 Jan. 2025
The condemned received the ministrations of a priest, and had the opportunity to repent and receive absolution.
—Katrina Gulliver, JSTOR Daily, 13 Mar. 2023
Still, President Joe Biden's unconditional, full absolution of his son is different in one unprecedented way: No commander-in-chief has ever granted clemency to his child, according to experts.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 2 Dec. 2024
The Persistent Realities of Inequities But acknowledgment is not absolution, and ambition is not justice.
—Lenwood V. Long, Sr., Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for absolution
Samantha Allen, Them, 3 Jan. 2025
The condemned received the ministrations of a priest, and had the opportunity to repent and receive absolution.
—Katrina Gulliver, JSTOR Daily, 13 Mar. 2023
Still, President Joe Biden's unconditional, full absolution of his son is different in one unprecedented way: No commander-in-chief has ever granted clemency to his child, according to experts.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 2 Dec. 2024
The Persistent Realities of Inequities But acknowledgment is not absolution, and ambition is not justice.
—Lenwood V. Long, Sr., Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for absolution
Recent Examples of Synonyms for absolution
Noun
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Buddhism, the country’s dominant religion, offers rituals for healing, reincarnation and forgiveness.—
Sophal Ear,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2025
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As to the economy, Noboa has leaned heavily into economic proposals like cash payments and debt forgiveness for farmers affected by natural disasters.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The men who abducted Paiva were indicted by federal prosecutors in 2014—but they have been protected by an amnesty law, passed as the regime was coming to an end, which has effectively kept the country from reckoning with the savagery of military rule.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
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This month, though, Mayor Brandon Johnson has announced an amnesty program wherein all of those penalties have been waived.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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After Trump’s pardons for the January 6th attackers, Thune, speaking to reporters, grappled audibly with his instinct for honesty.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2025
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On his second day in office, Trump signed a full pardon for Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the controversial online marketplace Silk Road.—
Miranda Nazzaro,
The Hill,
28 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Absolution.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/absolution. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
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