expiation
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of expiation
1375–1425; late Middle English expiacioun < Latin expiātiōn- (stem of expiātiō ) atonement, satisfaction. See expiate, -ion
Explanation
The act of expiation is a way to atone for something you did that was wrong. It was originally used in a religious context, with expiation the way a person could gain forgiveness from a god. If you've ever tried to make up for something you did wrong, then you understand the notion of expiation. The idea of atonement stretches across all religions, from Judaism’s Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) to perhaps the most famous example of expiation, the Christian doctrine of Christ dying to absolve the world's sins. You definitely don't need to be religious to seek expiation. People who commit crimes and even make small mistakes seek expiation every day.
Vocabulary lists containing expiation
The Scarlet Letter
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Oedipus the King
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A Tale of Two Cities
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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.
Art uses life to its own ends; it doesn’t offer expiation to its subjects.
From New York Times • Feb. 12, 2024
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 • May 25, 2023
Rather, he felt he would find expiation in understanding and giving voice to an oppressed community.
From Slate • Jun. 30, 2020
David Berman became a cult hero singer-songwriter largely because he never said much, making his public expiation all the more startling.
From Washington Post • Jun. 3, 2019
When all were completed and full expiation made for the death of his wife and children, he would seem to have earned ease and tranquillity for the rest of his life.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
