Synonyms

expiation

American

[ek-spee-ey-shuhn] / ˌɛk spiˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

the act of expiating.
the means by which atonement or reparation is made.

Other Word Forms

expiational adjective
nonexpiation noun

Etymology

Origin of expiation

1375–1425; late Middle English expiacioun < Latin expiātiōn- (stem of expiātiō ) atonement, satisfaction. See expiate, -ion

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.

It was a necessary expiation, a symbolic cleansing of society’s ills.

From Washington Post

But a few weeks in baseball purgatory — that metaphoric site of expiation and cleaning up your act — could do them considerable good.

From Washington Post

But as the legislative session winds to a close, some lawmakers, activists and victims say Albany’s expiation has been uneven, sparing some bad actors even as it has felled others.

From New York Times

What’s more, the film goes beyond who did what into matters of intention and expiation.

From The Wall Street Journal

The implication is that nurses must confess their sins of being born white and having learned how to care for patients as a kind of political expiation before they can treat someone.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023