as in absolved
to free from a charge of wrongdoing
the results of the DNA fingerprinting finally exonerated the man, but only after he had wasted 10 years of his life in prison
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in acquitted
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Recent Examples of exonerated
Phil Helsel, NBC news, 8 Aug. 2025
Micah Kimball, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
The murder of Fusco has been unsolved for 41 years, during which time three men were prosecuted and jailed for nearly 20 years before being exonerated by DNA testing.
—Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Three men who had been convicted of her death were exonerated in 2003 based on DNA evidence.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2025
If Scott had been the victim of a homophobic attack, then each man could be exonerated in the other’s eyes.
—Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
The decision not to file charges exonerated Yuba County Sheriff’s Office Sgt.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 10 Oct. 2025
She and Sollecito were exonerated and released after four years in prison following an appeal, where the court found that Italian authorities had grossly mishandled the case.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
Then, in 2003, he was exonerated and released from prison when DNA evidence pinned the crime on a different man.
—Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
The hearings substantiated charges that the practice of polygamy persisted but exonerated Smoot as an individual.
—Konden Smith Hansen, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
The civil rights counts against Buck Aldridge are not related to the fatal shooting of the exonerated man, Leonard Cure, whom Aldridge killed during a struggle after a traffic stop in 2023.
—Phil Helsel, NBC news, 8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Even though the prosecutor knew this critical information that would have exonerated me, the prosecutor purposefully withheld this information from myself and my defense team for nearly 8 months.
—Micah Kimball, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
The murder of Fusco has been unsolved for 41 years, during which time three men were prosecuted and jailed for nearly 20 years before being exonerated by DNA testing.
—Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Three men who had been convicted of her death were exonerated in 2003 based on DNA evidence.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2025
If Scott had been the victim of a homophobic attack, then each man could be exonerated in the other’s eyes.
—Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
The decision not to file charges exonerated Yuba County Sheriff’s Office Sgt.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 10 Oct. 2025
She and Sollecito were exonerated and released after four years in prison following an appeal, where the court found that Italian authorities had grossly mishandled the case.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
Then, in 2003, he was exonerated and released from prison when DNA evidence pinned the crime on a different man.
—Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
The hearings substantiated charges that the practice of polygamy persisted but exonerated Smoot as an individual.
—Konden Smith Hansen, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exonerated
acquitted
Verb
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Cole was tried in 2021, partially acquitted and tried again the following year, convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
27 Oct. 2025
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The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, Massachusetts ‒ site of two brutal murders in 1892 for which Borden was tried and acquitted ‒ has come to a similar conclusion.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Exonerated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exonerated. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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