exculpatory
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of exculpatory
Explanation
Does the blood on the kitchen knife not match that on the accused's clothes? That's exculpatory evidence: anything that clears someone or something of guilt or blame is exculpatory. Exculpatory comes from the Latin word exculpat, meaning "freed from blame." The verb exculpate means to free from guilt or blame. Both words are used most often in a legal or technical sense rather than in everyday conversation — unless of course you're trying to show off.
Vocabulary lists containing exculpatory
Just Mercy
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Miranda v. Arizona (1966)
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Legal Lingo, List 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Concealing the use of such informants from the defense, as happened in Carruthers’ case, is a serious breach of a prosecutor’s obligation to disclose potentially exculpatory information.
From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026
Mayes also requested exculpatory evidence, as requested by defendant and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
From Salon ● Jan. 13, 2025
Other information was hidden from Glossip, too, including possible exculpatory DNA evidence from the crime scene, which has since been damaged.
From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2024
Mitchell told the judge that for decades since Peterson’s 2004 trial, vital evidence connected to the conviction has been withheld and that prosecutors continue to thwart and delay the discovery of potentially exculpatory evidence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2024
All of these recorded statements were typed, exculpatory, and favorable to Walter McMillian, and none of them had been disclosed to McMillian's attorneys, as was required.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
