Meanings
exonerate1
present singular third person exonerates · participle present exonerating · participle past exonerated · past exonerated
- obsoletereflexiveOf a body of water: to discharge or empty (itself).
I would examine the Caſpian Sea, and ſee where and how it exonerates it ſelfe, after it hath taken in Volga, Iaxares, Oxus, and thoſe great rivers; at the mouth of Oby, or where?
1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition II, section ii, member 3, page 231 - transitiveTo free (someone) from accusation or blame.
Synonyms: acquit, exculpate, vindicate, acquittance, assoil, assoilzie, acquit, absolve
exonerate2
comparative more exonerate · superlative most exonerate
- archaicFreed from an obligation; freed from accusation or blame; acquitted, exonerated.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo free (someone) from an obligation, responsibility or task.
verbTo free (someone) from accusation or blame.
More synonyms by meaning
verbpronounce not guilty of criminal charges
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
exonerate · verb
- Proto-Indo-European*h₃énh₂os“burden, load”
- Latinexonerātus
- Middle Englishexoneraten
- Englishexonerate
From Middle English exoneraten (attested in past participle exonerated), from Latin exonerātus, past perfect participle of exonerō (“to discharge, unload; to exonerate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Exonerō is from ex- (“out, from”) + onerō (“to burden, lade; to load”) further from onus (oner-) (“a burden, load”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃énh₂os (“burden, load”), from *h₃enh₂- (“to charge, onerate”). Compare French exonérer.
More words from Middle English, Latin, Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →exonerate · adjective
- Latinexonerātus
- Englishexonerate
Learned borrowing from Latin exonerātus (more at etymology 1), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian освобождавам от задължение, оправдавам
- освобождавам от задължение (osvoboždavam ot zadălženie)to free from an obligation, responsibility or task
- оправдавам (opravdavam)to free from accusation or blame
Catalan exonerar, exonerar
- exonerarto relieve (someone or something) of a load; to unburden (a load)
- exonerarto free from an obligation, responsibility or task
- exonerarto free from accusation or blame
Czech ospravedlnit
- ospravedlnitto free from accusation or blame
Dutch ontlasten, verlichten
- ontlastento relieve (someone or something) of a load; to unburden (a load)
- verlichtento relieve (someone or something) of a load; to unburden (a load)
- leeglopenof a body of water: to discharge or empty (itself)
- ontheffento free from an obligation, responsibility or task
- vrijsprekento free from accusation or blame
Finnish vapauttaa vastuusta, vapauttaa syytteestä
- vapauttaa vastuustato free from an obligation, responsibility or task
- vapauttaa syytteestäto free from accusation or blame
French exonérer, exonérer
- exonérerto relieve (someone or something) of a load; to unburden (a load)
- exonérerto free from an obligation, responsibility or task
- exonérerto free from accusation or blame
German erleichtern, ausleeren
- erleichternto relieve (someone or something) of a load; to unburden (a load)
- ausleerenof a body of water: to discharge or empty (itself)
- entleerenof a body of water: to discharge or empty (itself)
- abfließenof a body of water: to discharge or empty (itself)
- abnehmento free from an obligation, responsibility or task
- befreiento free from an obligation, responsibility or task
- entbindento free from an obligation, responsibility or task
- entlastento free from an obligation, responsibility or task
- entlastento free from accusation or blame
- freisprechento free from accusation or blame
- lossprechento free from accusation or blame
- begnadigento free from accusation or blame
Greek απαλλάσσω, απαλλάσσω
- απαλλάσσω (apallásso)to relieve (someone or something) of a load; to unburden (a load)
- απαλλάσσω (apallásso)to free from an obligation, responsibility or task
- αθωώνω (athoóno)to free from accusation or blame
- δικαιώνω (dikaióno)to free from accusation or blame
Hungarian mentesít, felment
- mentesítto free from an obligation, responsibility or task
- felmentto free from accusation or blame
- tisztázto free from accusation or blame
Italian esentare, discolpare
- esentareto free from an obligation, responsibility or task
- discolpareto free from accusation or blame
- scagionareto free from accusation or blame
Korean 면제(免除)하다
- 면제(免除)하다 (myeonjehada)to free from an obligation, responsibility or task
Māori whakaharakore
- whakaharakoreto free from accusation or blame
Persian تبرئه کردن
- تبرئه کردن (tabra'e kardan)to free from accusation or blame
Polish odciążyć, uwolnić
- odciążyćto relieve (someone or something) of a load; to unburden (a load)
- uwolnićto relieve (someone or something) of a load; to unburden (a load)
- odciążaćto relieve (someone or something) of a load; to unburden (a load)
Portuguese aliviar, esvaziar
- aliviarto relieve (someone or something) of a load; to unburden (a load)
- esvaziarof a body of water: to discharge or empty (itself)
- exonerarto free from an obligation, responsibility or task
- exonerarto free from accusation or blame
Russian разгружа́ть, разгрузи́ть
- разгружа́ть (razgružátʹ)to relieve (someone or something) of a load; to unburden (a load)
- разгрузи́ть (razgruzítʹ)to relieve (someone or something) of a load; to unburden (a load)
- опустоша́ться (opustošátʹsja)of a body of water: to discharge or empty (itself)
- опустоши́ться (opustošítʹsja)of a body of water: to discharge or empty (itself)
- освобожда́ть (osvoboždátʹ)to free from an obligation, responsibility or task
- освободи́ть (osvobodítʹ)to free from an obligation, responsibility or task
- опра́вдывать (oprávdyvatʹ)to free from accusation or blame
- оправда́ть (opravdátʹ)to free from accusation or blame
Spanish exonerar, exonerar
- exonerarto free from an obligation, responsibility or task
- exonerarto free from accusation or blame
Swedish avlasta, lösa
- avlastato relieve (someone or something) of a load; to unburden (a load)
- lösato free from an obligation, responsibility or task
- frikännato free from accusation or blame
- rentvåto free from accusation or blame
Turkish aklamak, ibra etmek
- aklamakto free from accusation or blame
- ibra etmekto free from accusation or blame
- tebriye etmekto free from accusation or blame
- temize çıkarmakto free from accusation or blame
Cite this entry
exonerate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exonerate
“exonerate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exonerate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “exonerate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exonerate.
Source: exonerate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.