exculpate
verb
(ˌ)ek-ˈskəl- transitive verb
Did you know?
Exculpate is the joining of the prefix ex-, meaning "not," and the Latin noun culpa, meaning "blame." Readers may be familiar with the Latin phrase mea culpa, which translates directly as "through my fault" and is used in English to mean "a formal acknowledgment of personal fault or error."
Synonyms
- absolve
- acquit
- clear
- exonerate
- vindicate
Example Sentences
Namwali Serpell, The Atlantic, 2 Aug. 2022 Prosecutors said examining Suzanne Morphew's body could incriminate or exculpate her husband. Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 6 May 2022 Lloris was keen to exculpate his manager, emphasizing that Mourinho sent them out to be positive and attack. Joshua Law, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2021 After all, if Mulvaney or Bolton could give testimony that would exculpate Trump in the Ukraine scandal, the president would have frog-marched them to the House Intelligence Committee himself last month. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 19 Dec. 2019 The East defined itself in the tradition of communists who had resisted fascism, giving rise to a state doctrine of remembrance that effectively exculpated it from wartime atrocities. Katrin Bennhold, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2019 No evidence emerged linking the man to the crime at the school in Myanmar’s capital, Naypyitaw, and some testimony exculpated him. Washington Post, 19 Dec. 2019 Thus, Harvey’s magnitude does not exculpate the government of liability for its actions. BostonGlobe.com, 19 Dec. 2019 The fact that the bombardiers are Saudi hardly exculpates the United States. BostonGlobe.com, 5 Oct. 2019 See More Word History
Medieval Latin exculpatus, past participle of exculpare, from Latin ex- + culpa blame
circa 1656, in the meaning defined above
Legal Definition
exculpate
transitive verb
Lilly v. Virginia, 527 U.S. 116 (1999)exculpate
verb
Synonyms & Similar Words
- acquit
- exonerate
- absolve
- vindicate
- clear
- expiate
- forgive
- liberate
- release
- excuse
- redeem
- condone
- unburden
- whitewash
- pardon
- discharge
- redress
- avenge
- remit
- atone (for)
- revenge
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- incriminate
- criminate
- accuse
- impeach
- indict
- charge
- convict
- arraign
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of exculpate are absolve, acquit, exonerate, and vindicate. While all these words mean "to free from a charge," exculpate implies a clearing from blame or fault often in a matter of small importance.
In some situations, the words absolve and exculpate are roughly equivalent. However, absolve implies a release either from an obligation that binds the conscience or from the consequences of disobeying the law or committing a sin.
The meanings of acquit and exculpate largely overlap; however, acquit implies a formal decision in one's favor with respect to a definite charge.
The words exonerate and exculpate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, exonerate implies a complete clearance from an accusation or charge and from any attendant suspicion of blame or guilt.
The synonyms vindicate and exculpate are sometimes interchangeable, but vindicate may refer to things as well as persons that have been subjected to critical attack or imputation of guilt, weakness, or folly, and implies a clearing effected by proving the unfairness of such criticism or blame.