exonerate
Americanverb
-
to clear or absolve from blame or a criminal charge
-
to relieve from an obligation or task; exempt
Related Words
See absolve.
Other Word Forms
- exoneration noun
- exonerative adjective
- exonerator noun
- unexonerative adjective
Etymology
Origin of exonerate
First recorded in 1515–25; late Middle English, from Latin exonerātus (past participle of exonerāre “to unburden, discharge”), equivalent to ex- “out of, from; thoroughly” + oner- (stem of onus ) “a burden” + -ātus past participle suffix; see ex- 1, -ate 1
Explanation
To exonerate someone is to declare him not guilty of criminal charges. This word is pretty much only used in reference to proceedings in a court of law. A word with a similar meaning that might be familiar is “acquit.” When your next door neighbor was arrested for painting smiley faces on the front doors of all the houses on your block, evidence to exonerate him was discovered when the police found a young hooligan from the next street over with a basement full of paint canisters. The verb comes from the Latin exonerat-, meaning “freed from burden.” A criminal charge is certainly a burden, and when you're exonerated, you're freed from that burden.
Vocabulary lists containing exonerate
100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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Great Expectations
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Just Mercy
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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.
While it’s true, as EduBirdie told Salon, that many of the online influencers peddling the “tradwife” life are actually paid professionals who make money off creating content, this hypocrisy doesn’t exonerate them.
From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026
Our attention then returns to the original flashpoint in a way that should, in some respects, exonerate Glaude’s teacher.
From Salon • Oct. 22, 2025
The effort to exonerate him was led in part by the Los Angeles Innocence Project and the California Forensic Science Institute at Cal State LA.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 24, 2025
The majority, he warned, was inviting an endless wave of litigation over evidence that could never truly exonerate a person under Texas law.
From Slate • Jun. 26, 2025
Recently, an effort has been launched to exonerate George Stinney.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
