Synonyms

vindicate

American

[vin-di-kayt] / ˈvɪn dɪˌkeɪt /

verb (used with object)

to clear, as from an accusation, imputation, suspicion, or the like.

to vindicate someone's honor.

Synonyms:

exonerate
to afford justification for; justify.

Subsequent events vindicated his policy.
to uphold or justify by argument or evidence.

to vindicate a claim.

Synonyms:

substantiate
to assert, maintain, or defend (a right, cause, etc.) against opposition.

Synonyms:

substantiate
to claim for oneself or another.
Roman and Civil Law. to regain possession, under claim of title of property through legal procedure, or to assert one's right to possession.
to get revenge for; avenge.
Obsolete. to deliver from; liberate.
Obsolete. to punish.

vindicate British

/ ˈvɪndɪˌkeɪt /

verb

to clear from guilt, accusation, blame, etc, as by evidence or argument
to provide justification for

his promotion vindicated his unconventional attitude
to uphold, maintain, or defend (a cause, etc)

to vindicate a claim
Roman law to bring an action to regain possession of (property) under claim of legal title
rare to claim, as for oneself or another
obsolete to take revenge on or for; punish
obsolete to set free

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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Etymology

Origin of vindicate

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin vindicātus (past participle of vindicāre “to lay legal claim to (property); to free (someone) from servitude (by claiming him as free); to protect, avenge, punish),“ equivalent to vindic- (stem of vindex “claimant, protector, avenger”) + -ātus -ate ¹

Explanation

Vindicate means to justify, prove, or reinforce an idea — or to absolve from guilt. If your family thinks you hogged the last piece of pie on Thanksgiving, you'll be vindicated when your younger brother fesses up. Vindicate derives from the Latin vindicatus, which is the past tense of vindicare, meaning "lay claim to" or "avenge." When a physicist proves a theory that his colleagues derided, he vindicates it. When a lawyer clears her client's name in a trial, she vindicates him. Machiavelli argued that the results he got vindicated his tactics — in other words, the ends justified the means.

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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.

See Examples For:

vindicate vindicates vindicated vindicating

If that version is ever unearthed, it may perhaps vindicate the director.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026

The worker just doesn’t get to vindicate their rights.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

Over mint tea, Mr. Saxe-Coburg-Gotha speaks with the precision of a man who has watched history vindicate and betray his dynasty in equal measure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Sinn Féin MP Maskey said the coroner's findings vindicate families who have long maintained their loved ones were innocent and shot without justification.

From BBC ● May 1, 2026

Still, Picasso believed in his vision, and he believed that the future would vindicate him.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar added on X that the decision "vindicates Pakistan's consistent position that a binding international treaty cannot be unilaterally suspended or set aside".

From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026

To AI-safety experts, it vindicates what they have been warning about all along: that AI systems would cause real-world harms and evade attempts to control them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

These analysts will claim that the stock market’s huge rally to begin this week’s trading vindicates their beliefs.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 23, 2026

"When you see that bond, and just that love she had for the lambs, it vindicates the decision."

From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026

He vindicates in it very powerfully, the divines of the Church of Scotland, from the imputation of a want of mathematical talent, a reproach which he thought Professor Playfair had thrown upon them.

From The Genius of Scotland or Sketches of Scottish Scenery, Literature and Religion by Robert Turnbull

They were vindicated in Thursday’s disorderly selloff, said John Roe, head of multiasset allocation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

The result also vindicated Van’s claim to the championship.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

Admirers cheered that the court had at last vindicated Andrew Johnson.

From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2026

For the next 10 or 11 months, the sentiment seemed vindicated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

C.P. felt more than vindicated; he felt valued.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

So watching the rest of the world finally catch up feels a little vindicating.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

A second theme for this Court is vindicating liberties in the Bill of Rights.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

But the case was a close one with only five justices full-throatedly vindicating the Fourth Amendment’s privacy protection goals.

From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026

“He looks forward to vindicating himself in court, where such matters are decided — and not in the media — based on admissible, material evidence, not rank speculation and unsubstantiated allegations.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

Thus vindicating those who bore influence in her formative years.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023