expiation

[ ek-spee-ey-shuhn ]

noun

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

Other Words From

• expi·ation·al adjective
• nonex·pi·ation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of expiation¹

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

Example Sentences

But “Runaway Train” the book is not some weepy expiation for past sins, a Hollywood reclamation job designed to kick-start a once-buzzy career.

From Los Angeles Times

Art uses life to its own ends; it doesn’t offer expiation to its subjects.

From New York Times

The sisters’ mission statement is “the expiation of stigmatic guilt and the promulgation of universal joy,” but since their inception, they’ve been called diabolical and anti-Catholic and accused by their detractors of mocking Catholic nuns.

From Los Angeles Times

“Until it is returned at least as a symbolic gesture of expiation it will remain evidence of the loot, plunder and misappropriation that colonialism was really all about.”

From Los Angeles Times

“White on White” appears to target the way some white people find comfort in rituals of performative expiation.

From New York Times

Related Words

• apology
• atonement
• indemnity
• payment
• redress
• remuneration
• renewal
• repayment
• restitution