absolve
Americanverb (used with object)
-
absolves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
absolved,
past participle, past
-
absolving
present participle
-
to free from guilt or blame or their consequences.
The court absolved her of guilt in his death.
- Antonyms:
- blame
-
to set free or release, as from some duty, obligation, or responsibility (usually followed byfrom ).
to be absolved from one's oath.
-
to grant pardon for.
-
Ecclesiastical.
-
to grant or pronounce remission of sins to.
-
to remit (a sin) by absolution.
-
to declare (censure, as excommunication) removed.
-
verb
-
(usually foll by from) to release from blame, sin, punishment, obligation, or responsibility
-
to pronounce not guilty; acquit; pardon
Synonym Usage
Absolve, acquit, exonerate all mean to free from blame. Absolve is a general word for this idea. To acquit is to release from a specific and usually formal accusation: The court must acquit the accused if there is not enough evidence of guilt. To exonerate is to consider a person clear of blame or consequences for an act (even when the act is admitted), or to justify the person for having done it: to be exonerated for a crime committed in self-defense.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
absolvesimple
-
absolvessimple
-
have absolvedperfect
-
has absolvedperfect
-
am absolvingprogressive
-
are absolvingprogressive
-
is absolvingprogressive
-
have been absolvingperfect progressive
-
has been absolvingperfect progressive
Past
-
absolvedsimple
-
had absolvedperfect
-
was absolvingprogressive
-
were absolvingprogressive
-
had been absolvingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of absolve
1525–35; < Latin absolvere, equivalent to ab- ab- + solvere to loosen; see solve
Explanation
To be absolved is to be let off the hook, to be set free from a certain obligation or to be forgiven for a wrongdoing. The Church may absolve you of your sins, but that won't absolve you of the need to attend mass. The Latin absolvere, which means "to set free," is the root of the word absolve. In the religious sense, to be absolved means to be truly forgiven in the eyes of the Lord, which must feel like being set free. In a more mundane everyday usage, absolve can be used to describe being let off the hook. For instance, putting a campaign poster in your window does not absolve you of the responsibility to vote.
Vocabulary lists containing absolve
The Declaration of Independence
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Romeo and Juliet
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The Declaration of Independence," Vocabulary from the historical document
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But in the letter to GKN executives, the county argued that the donation did not absolve the company of liability or of costs incurred by taxpayers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
In a court filing this month responding to LVMH, Puech’s lawyers say that it is too soon to absolve the company of blame and that any responsibility should be determined by the continuing criminal investigation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
The Student Group Claim argues this basic principle of consumer law overrides any clauses in university contracts which seek to absolve the institution from responsibility for disruption.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026
This documentary doesn’t absolve any sins; it highlights them.
From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2026
This doesn’t absolve me of blame—there’s plenty of blame to go around.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
Martinique official Serge Letchimy hailed a vote that he said had come "to shatter a system that tramples on the truth, absolves the guilty, and scorns the victims".
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
In order to receive their raw footage, Ms Stanton has asked clients to sign a "contract" that absolves Wallflower Weddings Videography of editing their final film.
From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2025
Glass isn’t the kind of filmmaker who absolves her characters’ sins.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2024
Not that that absolves Smith, who has to play better all around, but on Sunday, he didn’t feel like the biggest problem, either.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 5, 2023
Saying kaddish and sitting shiva, that absolves them of any responsibility for you.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
Given the recent court ruling, he and dozens of other tattooists expect to be absolved of their charges.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
But the jury absolved Musk of “engaging in a scheme to defraud Twitter investors.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
This narrative absolved leaders of responsibility and stripped communities of agency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026
Former England goalkeeper and Match of the Day pundit Joe Hart also absolved Vicario of blame for the first goal.
From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2025
“If all the world hated you, and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved you, and absolved you from guilt, you would not be without friends.”
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Moolenaar redeemed Suozzi, absolving him of any New York weirdness.
From Salon ● May 29, 2026
As you suggested, this is often referred to as an “act of God” — absolving Adam of any negligence/responsibility.
From MarketWatch ● May 28, 2026
But that may have been the actor’s way of absolving himself of his monstrous off-screen behavior.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
But he feared a ban would easily be overcome by tech-savvy teens, at the same time absolving parents of responsibility.
From Barron's ● Jan. 19, 2026
I walk away from her, guilt on my hands, absolving myself: I’m a good person.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
