as in pardoning
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as in absolution
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Dissimilar Words
as in acquitting
to free from a charge of wrongdoing
no amount of remorse will absolve shoplifters who are caught, and all cases will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law
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Recent Examples of absolving
Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 6 Jan. 2026
And on top of this, many platforms do not classify their riders as employees, legally absolving the companies from providing the many benefits that the workers are demanding.
—Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 2 Jan. 2026
Verb
Attorney Tom Mincer and our team remain steadfast in our commitment to absolving Lenny of all possession charges.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 6 Jan. 2026
And on top of this, many platforms do not classify their riders as employees, legally absolving the companies from providing the many benefits that the workers are demanding.
—Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 2 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for absolving
Noun
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Whatever absolution could be provided in the deaths of Michael, Marcy and Jennifer Jacobs or the disappearance of Ricky McCarthy would still mean something to their families.—
Graham Womack
Updated January 15,
Sacbee.com,
16 Jan. 2026
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His critics say that a man who fired a shot into a crowd deserves no absolution, regardless of his prior service to the country.—
Whitney Eulich,
Christian Science Monitor,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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This means the Seoul court has three options on Yoon — issuing the death sentence as requested by Cho’s team, commuting it to life sentence or 20-50 years in prison, or acquitting him.—
Hyung-Jin Kim,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Jan. 2026
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Hank Brennan, a longtime defense attorney famous for representing Bulger, earned $566,000 for his work as special prosecutor in Read’s second murder trial, which ended with a jury acquitting the woman of O’Keefe’s death.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
26 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Her music speaks of high school romance and tearful breakups, first loves, vengeance and revenge, rage, loss, and forgiveness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
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That plan leads to debt forgiveness after 30 years, compared with the typical timeline on other plans.—
Annie Nova,
CNBC,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Dallas County commissioners passed a symbolic resolution exonerating Tommy Lee Walker.—
J.D. Miles,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
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The Louisiana State Police published new video from the deadly pileup involving LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy, defending its investigation after Lacy's lawyer claimed to have new evidence allegedly exonerating the late college football star.—
Christian Orozco,
NBC news,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The classic case here is that of General Vladimir Padrino, a defense minister, who ought to have retired five years ago but has received special dispensation to remain in uniform year after year.—
Quico Toro,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
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Yet their long association with the current system makes such familiar figures unlikely standard-bearers of a new dispensation.—
Karim Sadjadpour,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In a separate court filing submitted Monday, Cole’s attorneys also demanded broad discovery, including all statements attributed to him, investigative notes, information about the FBI’s use of informants to identify Cole as a suspect, and any exculpatory material.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
29 Dec. 2025
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The petition further accuses prosecutors of withholding exculpatory material, including internal FBI notes, grand jury records and information about Epstein’s properties and financial transactions.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
18 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Absolving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/absolving. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
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