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excused

excused

3.5
Allowed to miss something because someone gave permission
  • adjective
  • /ɪkˈskjuːzd/
translation icon : exento
  • She was excused from the meeting due to a prior engagement.

Examples

  • Children who are excused from physical education can participate in other activities.

  • Students who are excused from class must still keep up with their assignments.

  • And the judge had to excuse herself from the courtroom because she was in tears.

Antonyms

required
  • Formal
1.4

Something a rule, law, or official says you must have

How Required

mandatory
239 3.8
required
  • Formal
1.4
expected
1.2
exempt
71 4.4
excused
3.5
optional
99 3.3

Surface Forms

excused positive

Morphology

excused = excuse (transparent) = excuse + ed

Formed from the verb 'excuse' with the past-participial/adjectival suffix '-ed', meaning someone has been permitted or exempted.

Etymology

Excused comes from Latin parts ex- 'out' and causa 'cause' or 'reason', the same root as cause. It originally meant 'free from blame', and from the idea of having a good reason it came to mean being 'allowed not to take part', so to be excused is to be given permission to be absent.