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Synonyms

expiation

American  
[ek-spee-ey-shuhn] / ˌɛk spiˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. the act of expiating.

  2. the means by which atonement or reparation is made.


Other Word Forms

  • expiational adjective
  • nonexpiation noun

Etymology

Origin of expiation

1375–1425; late Middle English expiacioun < Latin expiātiōn- (stem of expiātiō ) atonement, satisfaction. See expiate, -ion

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.

But “Runaway Train” the book is not some weepy expiation for past sins, a Hollywood reclamation job designed to kick-start a once-buzzy career.

From Los Angeles Times

Art uses life to its own ends; it doesn’t offer expiation to its subjects.

From New York Times

The sisters’ mission statement is “the expiation of stigmatic guilt and the promulgation of universal joy,” but since their inception, they’ve been called diabolical and anti-Catholic and accused by their detractors of mocking Catholic nuns.

From Los Angeles Times

“Until it is returned at least as a symbolic gesture of expiation it will remain evidence of the loot, plunder and misappropriation that colonialism was really all about.”

From Los Angeles Times

“White on White” appears to target the way some white people find comfort in rituals of performative expiation.

From New York Times