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exculpation

exculpation

1 9.9
The act of clearing someone from blame
  • noun
  • /ˌɛkskəlˈpeɪʃən/
  • Formal
translation icon : exculpación
  • Blacks seek acknowledgment of their victimization, while whites seek exculpation from the accusation of bigotry.

Examples

  • The court of appeals, fully aware of this, reversed the innocent district judge's full exculpation of the company and permitted the government to win.

    Academic text (1991)
  • All Mr. Irving's little fictions, all his tweaks of the evidence, all tend in the same direction, the exculpation of Adolf Hitler.

  • What is to be done with the desire for exculpation?

    Fiction book (1998)
  • "It was too wet to lie out there," I said in exculpation and then remembered I was supposed to be dead.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • But do not breathe a sigh of relief for the moral exculpation of our species.

    Academic text (1991)
  • When a major biblical character appears to fall into sin, Challoner's exculpation is total: no sin was committed.

    Academic text (2006)
  • This is not a "fog of war" argument aimed at exculpation, but rather a detailed rehearsal of historical facts to deepen understanding.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The fact she hasn't leads me to deduce that her exculpation isn't so neat and clean.

    Blog text (30)
  • The lawyer presented evidence that led to the exculpation of his client, proving he was not involved in the crime.

  • After the investigation revealed new facts, the committee issued an official exculpation of the organization's actions.

Synonyms

innocence
vsexculpation
159 3.4

Not guilty of a crime

describes the act of clearing blame rather than the resulting state
acquittal
vsexculpation
41 7.1

An official court decision that a person is not guilty of a crime

is the general act of clearing blame beyond a specific legal verdict
vindication
vsexculpation
29 7.4

Proof that shows someone was right or not to blame after people doubted them

focuses on clearing blame or proving innocence rather than proving rightness
exoneration
vsexculpation
  • Formal
10 7.9

An official clearing of a person from blame after being accused

is the general act of clearing blame beyond formal declaration
purging
vsexculpation
1 7.4

Clearing someone of blame or shame

is focused on the act of proving innocence rather than removing stigma
clearing
vsexculpation
1 6.0

Removing doubt about someone so they are not blamed anymore

is about proving innocence rather than just reducing suspicion
purgation
vsexculpation
  • Formal
9.9

An act that clears someone from blame or suspicion

is the same action but emphasises proof of not being guilty
inculpability
vsexculpation
  • Formal
9.9

A state of not being blamed for doing something wrong

is the action that establishes that condition rather than naming it

Antonyms

394 3.1

A statement that someone did something wrong or illegal, even if it is not proven

How Clear

acquittal
41 7.1
exculpation
  • Formal
1 9.9
vindication
29 7.4

Surface Forms

exculpation singular
exculpations plural

Morphology

exculpation = exculpate (opaque) = ex + culp + ate + ion

The noun is a regular action/state formation from the verb 'exculpate' with the suffix '-ion'.

Etymology

Exculpation comes from the Latin parts ex- meaning 'out' and culpa meaning 'blame'. So, just like in culprit and culpable, the root is about blame, and exculpation is the act of taking the blame 'out' of someone, clearing them of guilt.