as in acquitted
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Dissimilar Words
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
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Recent Examples of exonerated
Beandrea July, IndieWire, 29 Jan. 2026
There are post-release government resources for people exiting prison, but none tailored to the extraordinary circumstances of the exonerated — wronged by the legal system, in many cases over decades, and then suddenly put on the street with no preparation or plan for facing the outside world.
—Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026
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
Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
In the end, he was exonerated but Doc ultimately opted to partner with the hospital to the benefit of his patients, which enraged Hope, sending her into the hands of her ex Roland and setting up a potential love triangle that had been brewing all season.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026
Ricky Davis, who was exonerated and released from prison in 2020, sued the county in federal court in 2022.
—Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 12 Mar. 2026
More allegations followed, but Spacey maintained his innocence with respect to Rapp's claims, and in 2021, a jury exonerated him of the specific allegation of molesting Rapp in 1986.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
Danziger, who was beaten by another inmate while incarcerated and suffered a severe brain injury, was later exonerated through DNA testing.
—Tony Plohetski, Austin American Statesman, 23 Feb. 2026
The simple fact that Charles made the statement showed the scale of the problem created by the arrest of the king’s 66-year-old sibling, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was held for 11 hours and then released under investigation, meaning he was neither charged nor exonerated.
—ABC News, 21 Feb. 2026
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Thursday, held for 11 hours and then released under investigation, meaning he was neither charged nor exonerated.
—Mariia Kashchenko, CBS News, 21 Feb. 2026
The former prince has neither been charged nor exonerated at this time, NPR's Lauren Frayer says.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
The film’s most tense and destabilizing sequence is a confrontational meeting between the exonerated men and Bishop.
—Beandrea July, IndieWire, 29 Jan. 2026
There are post-release government resources for people exiting prison, but none tailored to the extraordinary circumstances of the exonerated — wronged by the legal system, in many cases over decades, and then suddenly put on the street with no preparation or plan for facing the outside world.
—Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026
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
Verb
But after the legal case was dismissed by a judge who said the court did not have competence over the issues involved, Laporta claimed to have been completely exonerated on all accounts.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
In the end, he was exonerated but Doc ultimately opted to partner with the hospital to the benefit of his patients, which enraged Hope, sending her into the hands of her ex Roland and setting up a potential love triangle that had been brewing all season.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026
Ricky Davis, who was exonerated and released from prison in 2020, sued the county in federal court in 2022.
—Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 12 Mar. 2026
More allegations followed, but Spacey maintained his innocence with respect to Rapp's claims, and in 2021, a jury exonerated him of the specific allegation of molesting Rapp in 1986.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
Danziger, who was beaten by another inmate while incarcerated and suffered a severe brain injury, was later exonerated through DNA testing.
—Tony Plohetski, Austin American Statesman, 23 Feb. 2026
The simple fact that Charles made the statement showed the scale of the problem created by the arrest of the king’s 66-year-old sibling, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was held for 11 hours and then released under investigation, meaning he was neither charged nor exonerated.
—ABC News, 21 Feb. 2026
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Thursday, held for 11 hours and then released under investigation, meaning he was neither charged nor exonerated.
—Mariia Kashchenko, CBS News, 21 Feb. 2026
The former prince has neither been charged nor exonerated at this time, NPR's Lauren Frayer says.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 20 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exonerated
Verb
-
Notably, Roy even called for Paxton to resign from his post as attorney general amid his 2020 bribery and abuse-of-office scandal, in which he was later acquitted by the Texas Senate.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Mar. 2026
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Joseph Gladney, 27, was acquitted of murder but convicted of manslaughter at trial last year.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Not all pads are alike, but a footprint on the larger side involves five to ten acres of cleared, packed ground that serves as the hub for drilling equipment, which can include wellheads, pump jacks, tanks, wastewater storage pits, trailers, and flare stacks.—
Alex Heard,
Outside,
4 Mar. 2026
-
What counts as a cleared sidewalk?—
Quinn Clark,
jsonline.com,
1 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Exonerated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exonerated. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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