exonerated

American  

[ig-zon-uh-rey-tid] / ɪgˈzɒn əˌreɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. having been cleared of an accusation or freed from blame.

   After years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit, the exonerated man walks out of the prison gates and into the light of day.

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noun

1. Usually the exonerated a person or persons who have been cleared of an accusation or freed from blame.

   She is currently the director of a nonprofit that advocates against the death penalty and for the exonerated.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of exonerate.

Other Word Forms

• unexonerated
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of exonerated

exonerate ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

Use the adjective exonerated to describe someone who's been proven innocent. A boy whose mother thinks he stole a bag of candy is exonerated when his teacher explains that he won the candy in a spelling contest. When a suspect is let off the hook, or freed from guilt, he is exonerated. A prisoner set free after his lawyer presents new evidence is exonerated of his crime, and a basketball player might be exonerated of a foul accusation once the referees examine a video tape of the game. Exonerated comes from the Latin word for "remove a burden or unload," exoneratus. When the burden of guilt is removed from you, you're exonerated.

Example Sentences

Louisiana Attorney General Murrill threatened to charge Duncan with perjury for describing himself as exonerated because he had pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

From Slate • May 5, 2026

Reprising his Olivier-nominated London performance, Brody plays Nick Yarris, the convicted murderer who spent more than 21 years on death row before being exonerated for a crime he didn’t commit.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

A group of African states that have supported Khan argued that the judges’ report exonerated Khan and the disciplinary proceedings should be ended, officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

"We are confident that after the facts and evidence are reviewed in this case, he will be completely exonerated," attorney Mitchell Schuster told reporters outside the court, where Diggs's arraignment lasted less than five minutes.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

He not only exonerated Roscius, but went on the attack against his two accusers, rounding on a known favorite of the then-dictator Sulla.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

Related Words

• clean