Meanings
present singular third person vindicates · participle present vindicating · participle past vindicated · past vindicated
- transitiveTo clear of an accusation, suspicion or criticism.
to vindicate someone's honor
1 more example
As a man of vision, he understood this. Without Cerberus, humanity was doomed to an existence of groveling subservience at the feet of alien masters. Still, there were those who would call what he did criminal. Unethical. Amoral. History would vindicate him, but until it did he and his followers were forced to exist in hiding, working toward their goals in secret.
2008, Drew Karpyshyn, Mass Effect: Ascension, Del Rey Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 3Synonyms: absolve, clear, exonerate, acquittance, assoil, assoilzie, acquit, absolve
- transitiveTo justify by providing evidence.
to vindicate a right, claim or title
3 more examples
The Ukrainians immediately demanded a goal and their claims were vindicated as replays showed the ball crossed the line before Terry's intervention.
2012 June 19, Phil McNulty, “England 1-0 Ukraine”, in BBC SportAlso see: United National Congress, Trinidad and Tobago
Kamla Persad Bissessar: " We have been vindicated, but it is a victory for the people"
- transitiveTo maintain or defend (a cause) against opposition.
to vindicate the rights of labor movement in developing countries
1 more example
When Trump's election pulled back the curtain on the rise of the far-right in America, I'd naively assumed the Jewish left would be vindicated.
2019, Eli Valley, “A Springtime of Erasure”, in Jewish Currents, number Fall 2019, page 14 - transitiveTo be proven reasonable, correct, or justified.
- transitiveTo provide justification for.
The violent history of the suspect vindicated the use of force by the police.
- transitiveTo lay claim to; to assert a right to; to claim.
- obsoletetransitiveTo liberate; to set free; to deliver.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo clear of an accusation, suspicion or criticism.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinvindicātus
- Englishvindicate
Borrowed from Latin vindicātus, perfect passive participle of vindicō (“lay legal claim to something; set free; protect, avenge, punish”), from vim, accusative singular of vīs (“force, power”), + dīcō (“say; declare, state”). See avenge.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian оправдавам, доказвам
- оправдавам (opravdavam)to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- доказвам (dokazvam)to justify by providing evidence
- отстоявам (otstojavam)to maintain or defend a cause against opposition
Chinese Mandarin 證實 /证实
- 證實 /证实 (zhèngshí)to justify by providing evidence
Czech ospravedlnit, obhájit
- ospravedlnitto clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- obhájitto clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- očistitto clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- prokázat správnostto justify by providing evidence
- obhájitto justify by providing evidence
- dát za pravduto justify by providing evidence
- obhájitto maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- obhájitto provide justification
- ospravedlnitto provide justification
Danish renvaske, retfærdiggøre
- renvasketo clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- retfærdiggøreto justify by providing evidence
- beviseto justify by providing evidence
- stå inde forto maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- forsvareto maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- retfærdiggøreto provide justification
Dutch vrijspreken, blaam zuiveren
- vrijsprekento clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- blaam zuiverento clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- rechtvaardigento justify by providing evidence
- bevestigento justify by providing evidence
- gelijk krijgento justify by providing evidence
- verdedigento maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- verantwoordento provide justification
- gelijk gevento provide justification
- opeisento claim
- doen geldento claim
Finnish puhdistaa, perustella
- puhdistaato clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- perustellato justify by providing evidence
- puolustaato maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- osoittaa oikeaksito provide justification
- vaatiato claim
French blanchir, faire valoir
- blanchirto clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- faire valoirto justify by providing evidence
- défendreto maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- revendiquerto maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- affirmerto maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- justifierto provide justification
- revendiquerto claim
- réclamerto claim
German rechtfertigen, verteidigen
- rechtfertigento clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- verteidigento clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- reinwaschento clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- rehabilitierento clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- entlastento clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- beweisento justify by providing evidence
- nachweisento justify by providing evidence
- rechtfertigento justify by providing evidence
- verteidigento maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- einstehen fürto maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- verfechtento maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- rechtfertigento provide justification
Hungarian vindikál
- vindikálto claim
Latin vindicō, vindicō
- vindicōto clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- vindicōto justify by providing evidence
Māori whakaharakore
- whakaharakoreto clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
Norwegian Bokmål renvaske, rettferdiggjøre
- renvasketo clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- rettferdiggjøreto justify by providing evidence
- beviseto justify by providing evidence
- forfekteto maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- stå inne forto maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- forsvareto maintain or defend a cause against opposition
Polish oczyszczać z zarzutów, oczyścić z zarzutów
- oczyszczać z zarzutówto clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- oczyścić z zarzutówto clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- dowodzićto justify by providing evidence
- dowieśćto justify by providing evidence
- bronićto maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- obronićto maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- uzasadniaćto provide justification
- uzasadnićto provide justification
- usprawiedliwiaćto provide justification
- usprawiedliwićto provide justification
- twierdzićto claim
Russian опра́вдывать, оправда́ть
- опра́вдывать (oprávdyvatʹ)to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- оправда́ть (opravdátʹ)to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- защища́ть (zaščiščátʹ)to maintain or defend a cause against opposition
Spanish vindicar, defender
- vindicarto clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- defenderto maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- justificarto provide justification
- reclamarto claim
Swedish rentvå, rättfärdiga
- rentvåto clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- rättfärdigato provide justification
Tagalog linisin ang pangalan
- linisin ang pangalanto clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
Turkish temize çıkarmak, haklı çıkarmak
- temize çıkarmakto clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- haklı çıkarmakto justify by providing evidence
- ispat etmekto justify by providing evidence
- müdafaa etmekto maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- savunmakto maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- müdafaa etmekto provide justification
- savunmakto provide justification
- talep etmekto claim
Ukrainian виправдо́вувати, ви́правдати
- виправдо́вувати (vypravdóvuvaty)to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- ви́правдати (výpravdaty)to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism
- дово́дити (dovódyty)to justify by providing evidence
- довести́ (dovestý)to justify by providing evidence
- відсто́ювати (vidstójuvaty)to maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- відстоя́ти (vidstojáty)to maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- захища́ти (zaxyščáty)to maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- захисти́ти (zaxystýty)to maintain or defend a cause against opposition
- виправдо́вувати (vypravdóvuvaty)to provide justification
- ви́правдати (výpravdaty)to provide justification
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
vindicate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vindicate
“vindicate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vindicate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vindicate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vindicate.
Source: vindicate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.