verb

exonerate

ig-ZAHN-uh-rayt/ɪɡˈzɑːnəreɪt/

To officially clear someone of blame or accusation.

The security recording exonerates the woman by showing the cat knocking over the vase.

A compact before-and-after scene shows a woman wrongly blamed for a broken vase, then cleared when a security recording visibly reveals that a cat knocked it over.

Etymology

exLatinoff, out of

+onerLatinburden

+ateLatinpast-participle ending

“Off” and “burden” express the original idea of unloading. Blame was then treated as a weight resting on someone's character, so exonerating someone meant lifting that weight away.

In context

48 Hours40:28

our goal is to exonerate people just as it is to find them guilty. If we didn't have these Google data locations

The Fitbit Alibi | Full Episode

More examples

After reviewing the evidence, the panel exonerated both nurses.
She hopes the investigation will exonerate her.
The officer was exonerated of misconduct.

Forms

exonerate · exonerates · exonerated · exonerating

exoneration noun — The official clearing of blame or accusation.

Similar words

acquit: Specifically means finding someone not guilty in a criminal trial.
absolve: Can release someone from guilt or responsibility without establishing innocence.
vindicate: Can show someone was right without an official decision.