as in acquitted
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1
as in exonerated
to free from a charge of wrongdoing
vowed that the evidence would completely vindicate him
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in confirmed
to give evidence or testimony to the truth or factualness of
recent discoveries have generally vindicated the physicist's theories
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Recent Examples of vindicated
Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
The Supreme Court recently vindicated us on this question.
—Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 15 Jan. 2026
Lindell predicted that he, Powell (who could not be reached for comment), and many others would be vindicated.
—Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, The Atlantic, 14 Jan. 2026
Those fans seemed vindicated when the brash Johnson came in and guided the Cowboys to their most losses ever in a 1-15 debut.
—Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Jan. 2026
Some were celebrated in their time; others were silenced, only to be vindicated centuries later.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 25 Dec. 2025
Bain had three and felt vindicated.
—Manny Navarro, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025
Jennifer Freeman, an attorney representing Epstein accuser Maria Farmer and other survivors, said Saturday that her client feels vindicated after the document release.
—Michael R. Sisak, Twin Cities, 20 Dec. 2025
On Saturday, when the NFL announced its list of fines from the Week 13 showdowns, Prescott wasn't vindicated as the league didn't see enough in the hit to fine Gillotte for his actions during the game.
—Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
Verb
Douglas said he feels somewhat vindicated by the jury’s decision, and is eager to start putting the incident behind him.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
The Supreme Court recently vindicated us on this question.
—Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 15 Jan. 2026
Lindell predicted that he, Powell (who could not be reached for comment), and many others would be vindicated.
—Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, The Atlantic, 14 Jan. 2026
Those fans seemed vindicated when the brash Johnson came in and guided the Cowboys to their most losses ever in a 1-15 debut.
—Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Jan. 2026
Some were celebrated in their time; others were silenced, only to be vindicated centuries later.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 25 Dec. 2025
Bain had three and felt vindicated.
—Manny Navarro, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025
Jennifer Freeman, an attorney representing Epstein accuser Maria Farmer and other survivors, said Saturday that her client feels vindicated after the document release.
—Michael R. Sisak, Twin Cities, 20 Dec. 2025
On Saturday, when the NFL announced its list of fines from the Week 13 showdowns, Prescott wasn't vindicated as the league didn't see enough in the hit to fine Gillotte for his actions during the game.
—Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vindicated
Verb
-
Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, was acquitted of one count of murder-for-hire last week.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The administration characterized Rittenhouse’s actions as self-defense, and he was ultimately acquitted.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The person was taken to a hospital with critical injuries after the shooting, local officials confirmed.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Bill Belichick was not voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, a league source confirmed to The Athletic on Tuesday, and folks around the NFL are shocked.—
Amos Morale III,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
What counts as a cleared sidewalk?—
Quinn Clark,
jsonline.com,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Bystander videos verified by CBS News show the scene from multiple angles, starting shortly before the encounter that ended in the shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an American citizen who worked as an ICU nurse.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Jan. 2026
-
The shooting, captured on a video posted to Facebook and verified by NBC News, was followed by a heated confrontation between agents and protesters who oppose the federal government’s immigration enforcement tactics.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Another lawsuit brought by detainees in federal court in Fort Myers argued that immigration was a federal issue, and Florida agencies and private contractors hired by the state had no authority to operate the facility under federal law.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
So, Hippocrates argued, the illness of epilepsy must be caused, like any other illness, by imbalance, not demons.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Vindicated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vindicated. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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