exonerated 1 of 2

past tense of exonerate
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

exonerated

2 of 2

adjective

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of exonerated
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
  • 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
  • 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

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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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