exemption

American  

[ig-zemp-shuhn] / ɪgˈzɛmp ʃən /

noun

• exemptions
  plural

1. the circumstances of a taxpayer, such as their age or number of dependents, that allow them to make certain deductions from taxable income.

2. the act of exempting.

3. the state of being exempted; immunity.

   Synonyms:

   exception

   Antonyms:

   liability

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Synonym Usage

Exemption, immunity, impunity imply special privilege or freedom from imposed requirements. Exemption implies release or privileged freedom from some duty, tax, etc.: exemption from military service. Immunity implies freedom from a penalty or from some liability, especially one that is disagreeable or threatening: immunity from disease. Impunity (limited mainly to the fixed expression with impunity ) primarily suggests freedom from punishment: The police force was so inadequate that crimes could be committed with impunity.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonexemption
  noun
• preexemption
  noun
• exemptive
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• exemptions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of exemption

First recorded in 1350–1400; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin exemptiōn- (stem of exemptiō ) “removal.” See exempt, -ion

Explanation

When you get an exemption, you don't have to do something. In the sixties, some people got exemptions from military service during the Vietnam War. We don't often think of being left out as a good thing, but when you use the word exemption, you mean that someone has been excluded in a positive way. Children are exemptions, or deductions, on tax forms; the more children you have the less taxes you pay. Some non-profits are tax-exempt; their exemption means they pay no taxes at all. Exemptions also spare people from fighting in wars and doing some jobs. An exemption gets you off the hook.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

exemption exemptions

The measure only applies to permanent Florida residents, and the exemption would only count for non-school taxes.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, contains the so-called household exemption, which means that most private use of personal data falls outside the scope of some regulations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

On Wednesday, a government report revealed Seoul had secured a UN sanctions exemption to send medical equipment next month to North Korea, which has long suffered poor healthcare infrastructure.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

Wilkinson noted that the program — which was given the exemption in 2002 — has avoided using clips of politicians during its popular “Hot Topics” segment at the top of the program.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

“The magistrate told us that exemption didn’t apply to us.”

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

London Victims' Commissioner Andrea Simon said the exemptions "have not included some offenders whose imminent release is a genuinely terrifying prospect for their victims".

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

The law includes several exemptions, including for institutional and educational firms.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

Work-requirement exemptions for some groups — including certain homeless people, veterans and young adults formerly in foster care — were removed.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026

Many of the entries are marked with a reference to “Article 119,” a section in Iranian customs regulations that grants full tariff exemptions for armaments and defense imports.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

By the time the early months of 1945 rolled in, everyone was looking for exemptions from duty.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• discharge
• dispensation
• exception
• immunity
• privilege