absolve

American  

[ab-zolv, -solv] / æbˈzɒlv, -ˈsɒlv /

verb (used with object)

absolved, absolving

1. to free from guilt or blame or their consequences.

   The court absolved her of guilt in his death.

   Synonyms:

   clear, exculpate

   Antonyms:

   blame

2. to set free or release, as from some duty, obligation, or responsibility (usually followed byfrom ).

   to be absolved from one's oath.

   Synonyms:

   exempt, liberate

3. to grant pardon for.

   Synonyms:

   forgive, excuse

4. Ecclesiastical.

   1. to grant or pronounce remission of sins to.

   2. to remit (a sin) by absolution.

   3. to declare (censure, as excommunication) removed.

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absolve British  

/ əbˈzɒlv /

verb

1. (usually foll by from) to release from blame, sin, punishment, obligation, or responsibility

2. to pronounce not guilty; acquit; pardon

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Related Words

Absolve, acquit, exonerate all mean to free from blame. Absolve is a general word for this idea. To acquit is to release from a specific and usually formal accusation: The court must acquit the accused if there is not enough evidence of guilt. To exonerate is to consider a person clear of blame or consequences for an act (even when the act is admitted), or to justify the person for having done it: to be exonerated for a crime committed in self-defense.

Other Word Forms

• absolvable adjective
• absolvent adjective
• absolver noun
• unabsolved adjective

Etymology

Origin of absolve

1525–35; < Latin absolvere, equivalent to ab- ab- + solvere to loosen; solve

Explanation

To be absolved is to be let off the hook, to be set free from a certain obligation or to be forgiven for a wrongdoing. The Church may absolve you of your sins, but that won't absolve you of the need to attend mass. The Latin absolvere, which means "to set free," is the root of the word absolve. In the religious sense, to be absolved means to be truly forgiven in the eyes of the Lord, which must feel like being set free. In a more mundane everyday usage, absolve can be used to describe being let off the hook. For instance, putting a campaign poster in your window does not absolve you of the responsibility to vote.

Example Sentences

This documentary doesn’t absolve any sins; it highlights them.

From Salon • Feb. 1, 2026

However, the Nuremberg tribunals after World War II established in international law that obeying an unlawful order does not absolve an individual of responsibility for atrocities.

From Slate • Dec. 3, 2025

That the prison had been overcrowded at the time didn’t absolve it from its responsibility to provide the plaintiff, whose doctor had advised to avoid tobacco smoke, with a smoke-free environment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

"To be clear: being autistic is never an excuse for misconduct. It doesn't absolve anyone of responsibility, and it certainly doesn't mean you can't tell the difference between right and wrong."

From BBC • Jul. 10, 2025

I never bothered to notice before how thoroughly I’ve relied on Anatole to justify and absolve me here.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Related Words

• acquit
• exempt
• exonerate
• forgive
• pardon
• relieve
• vindicate