Synonyms of exoneration

exoneration

noun

as in pardon

a setting free from a charge of wrongdoing

the accused refused a plea bargain, asserting that he was innocent and would settle for nothing less than complete exoneration

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pardon
• forgiveness
• clearing
• acquittal
• vindication
• exculpation
• absolution
• remission
• atonement
• expiation
• condonation
• compurgation
• whitewash

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• conviction
• indictment
• prosecution
• accusation
• impeachment
• incrimination
• arraignment
• condemnation
• denunciation
• censure
• castigation

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of exoneration

Internal affairs complaints The lawsuit identifies five internal complaints filed against Sumstad between December 2022 and October 2025 and alleges each was dismissed, deemed unsubstantiated or ended in her exoneration. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 24 Sep. 2026

In fact, Mickes and Wixted have found that, in many exoneration cases, a witness resolutely identified a person in court despite having dithered and debated during the initial photo lineup. — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026

Experts told me some prosecutors around the country were using the obscure plea as a tool to thwart exonerations. — Megan Rose, ProPublica, 9 Sep. 2026

The office has also argued that the 2024 appellate ruling did not equate to an exoneration that warranted completely vacating Stubblefield’s conviction and sentence. — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 1 Sep. 2026

The Ohio Parole Board recommended commuting a death row inmate’s sentence to life in prison as his bid for exoneration garners support from Kim Kardashian and other celebrities. — Josh Feldman, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026

Florida also has the highest death row exoneration record out of any other state — 30 since 1973, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. — Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2026

His case has been the subject of documentaries and true-crime podcasts and garnered celebrity attention from Kim Kardashian and actors Hilarie Burton and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who all support his exoneration. — ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026

The assistant district attorney assigned to the case spoke to jurors in terms that seemed to guarantee Mulholland’s exoneration. — Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026