exoneration

noun

as in pardon
a setting free from a charge of wrongdoing the accused refused a plea bargain, asserting that he was innocent and would settle for nothing less than complete exoneration

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of exoneration His case has been the subject of documentaries and true-crime podcasts and garnered celebrity attention from Kim Kardashian and actors Hilarie Burton and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who all support his exoneration. — ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026 The assistant district attorney assigned to the case spoke to jurors in terms that seemed to guarantee Mulholland’s exoneration. — Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026 As a result, the number of exonerations nationwide increased from 25 in 1989 to 259 in 2022, according to the National Registry of Exonerations, a project operated by universities in Michigan and California. — Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 6 Aug. 2026 The exoneration effort was a cause in which many of the festival participants were involved, and the Connecticut Witch and Culture Festival was a celebration of that success. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2026 Administrative complaints start the discipline process that ends with exoneration or punitive action. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026 As presented in the Gang’s illogical scapegoating, fear-mongering, and overall manipulative self-exoneration, the debate turned into a farce. — Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026 Hadley also appeared in the episode, which aired a month after her exoneration. — Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 24 July 2026 But a best practice is to refrain from portraying the false positive as a complete exoneration while the federal investigation continues. — Edward Segal, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exoneration
  1. pardon
  2. forgiveness
  3. clearing
  4. acquittal
  5. vindication
Noun
  • Ocalan and other key PKK figures are excluded from the pardon.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The president has also drawn scrutiny for issuing pardons to people who have publicly supported him or have business ties to him, but his pardon power is separate from the DOJ.
    — Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of pardon
Noun
  • The downsides of private student loans include higher interest rates and fees, fewer opportunities for loan forgiveness and more rigid repayment terms than federal loans.
    — Amy DeYoung, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Getty Images Student loan borrower advocacy groups are raising alarms over the Education Department’s recent rollback of student loan forgiveness credit, warning that the efforts could trap borrowers in debt for additional months or years.
    — Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of forgiveness
Noun
  • John Rave hit a tiebreaking, bases-clearing double during a seven-run eighth inning, and the Kansas City Royals rallied past the Athletics 9-7 on Wednesday night.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The noise is loud, the imitation is everywhere and the hype shows no signs of clearing.
    — Juan Carlos Santiago, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of clearing
Noun
  • Still, the jury’s deliberations took more than 60 hours after an initial vote of eight for acquittal and four for guilty.
    — Dan Kelly August 22, Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Calls to abolish capital punishment or increase transparency have grown after the 2024 acquittal of the world's longest-serving death-row inmate, Iwao Hakamada.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of acquittal
Noun
  • The sociologist Brian Donovan, in a book on the subject, describes how the hysteria over white slavery served at once as a progressive campaign against prostitution and as a vindication of nativist fear.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • If Springfield eventually provides the $150 million, the majority will claim vindication.
    — Angel Gutierrez, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of vindication

Browse Nearby Words

exonerating
exoneration
exonerations
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Cite this Entry

“Exoneration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exoneration. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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