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 Florida also has the highest death row exoneration record out of any other state — 30 since 1973, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. — Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2026 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 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
  • One of the eight parole board members who took part in this case, former prosecutor Shontell Walker, was in favor of granting Noling a pardon, according to the board’s recommendation.
    — Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Ocalan and other key PKK figures are excluded from the pardon.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of pardon
Noun
  • Instead of anger, she’s leaned heavily on her faith to choose forgiveness.
    — Jacob Sisneros, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Along with this came the profound dread that straight white men (like me) felt about saying a single wrong sentence and facing the possibility of permanent exile without forgiveness.
    — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of forgiveness
Noun
  • Meanwhile, Iran and Oman were discussing a joint temporary shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz and mind clearing mission, a precursor to a permanent arrangement to administer the waterway.
    — Justina Lee, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Its vines blanket trees and power lines, turning roadside clearings into walls of green.
    — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of clearing
Noun
  • Her notoriety and the public’s fascination with the case, some historians have argued, led to Borden’s acquittal.
    — Addie Morfoot, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
  • His acquittal was overturned and the case was merged with that relating to the coup attempt.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of acquittal
Noun
  • However, ultimate vindication, or at least mitigation on the legal side of things, as well as the potential of AI as a multiplier for Meta's business, is keeping us in the stock.
    — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Strong feelings of certainty, relief, or vindication are often a signal that your identity has done the evaluating, not your critical thinking.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 21 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 2 Sep. 2026.

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