Synonyms

vindicate

American

[vin-di-keyt] / 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

"I think Salah's trying to vindicate himself and make himself feel better because he's had a very poor season," said Rooney.

From BBC ● May 18, 2026

Megan notes that the data vindicate Fed officials’ decision to keep interest rates steady at the January meeting.

From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026

“We are called upon by every consideration of duty and patriotism,” the president said, “to vindicate with decision the honor, the rights, and the interests of our country.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026

Julia and Mark discuss the remaining paths to justice after the killing of Renee Good and examine what happens when the DOJ abandons its duty to seek accountability and vindicate civil rights.

From Slate ● Jan. 17, 2026

She was hoping this testimony was going to seal it, vindicate all the effort, the pretrial preparation, the way she and others had extended themselves to take on Reggie.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

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

GB News CEO Angelos Frangopoulos said the decision "vindicates GB News' position as the fearless defender of free speech in the United Kingdom", while Ofcom said it "accepted the court's guidance".

From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2025

Offa gains the gift of speech in answer to prayer; to the joy of his father and the councillors he vindicates his right, much as in the Danish story.

From Beowulf An Introduction to the Study of the Poem with a Discussion of the Stories of Offa and Finn by R. W. Chambers

They differed over whether that protection damned the Constitution or vindicated it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Economists who don’t think the Fed needs to hike this year felt vindicated.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

Pauling may never be fully vindicated, but neither was he simply deluded.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026

The vast majority of accused parents will be vindicated, but only after a stressful, unjustified process.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

In time, both the theories would be spectacularly vindicated, and spectacularly demolished.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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

"The Executive Branch closed its investigation on the November 2022 traffic stop. Only after Abrego succeeded in vindicating his rights did the Executive Branch reopen that investigation," the opinion reads.

From BBC ● May 22, 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