as in acquitted
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as in absolved
to free from a charge of wrongdoing
the results of the DNA fingerprinting finally exonerated the man, but only after he had wasted 10 years of his life in prison
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Recent Examples of exonerated
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
The film’s most tense and destabilizing sequence is a confrontational meeting between the exonerated men and Bishop.
—
Beandrea July,
IndieWire,
29 Jan. 2026
There are post-release government resources for people exiting prison, but none tailored to the extraordinary circumstances of the exonerated — wronged by the legal system, in many cases over decades, and then suddenly put on the street with no preparation or plan for facing the outside world.
—
Olivia Olander,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Jan. 2026
The civil rights counts against Buck Aldridge are not related to the fatal shooting of the exonerated man, Leonard Cure, whom Aldridge killed during a struggle after a traffic stop in 2023.
—
Phil Helsel,
NBC news,
8 Aug. 2025
Safiyah Riddle,
Los Angeles Times,
3 July 2026
No state has exonerated more death row prisoners, 30 men in all.
—
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
30 June 2026
Though Cady has made some gestures toward helping the Bowdens, like his behind-the-scenes effort to get one of Anna’s death-row clients exonerated last week, Tom and Anna should not be so dumb as to ignore his ulterior motives.
—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
26 June 2026
The four men were exonerated in February after investigators linked another man, Robert Eugene Brashers, to the killings.
—
Erin Moriarty,
CBS News,
26 June 2026
Drake’s team usually scrounged up the clues that later exonerated Mason’s clients.
—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
Levine said internet protocol records, which include the geographic location of an internet user, would have exonerated him.
—
Jack Harvel,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
My opponent, Allan Culver, fails to address the glaring fact that he (along with his co-prosecutor, who resigned) was banned from appearing in court by all four Circuit Court judges for over 15 months due to ethical and legal violations, for which he was never officially exonerated.
—
George Psoras,
Baltimore Sun,
10 June 2026
After the podcast fans brought the case to the attention of Odessa, Texas, police chief Michael Gerke (the podcast listener’s father), Reyos was exonerated in 2023 and awarded $80,000 per year of his incarceration by the state of Texas, amounting to almost $2 million.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 June 2026
Adjective
There were other consequences for the city too – like the hefty settlement payments Detroit doled out to the exonerated men in Simon’s cases.
—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
The film’s most tense and destabilizing sequence is a confrontational meeting between the exonerated men and Bishop.
—
Beandrea July,
IndieWire,
29 Jan. 2026
There are post-release government resources for people exiting prison, but none tailored to the extraordinary circumstances of the exonerated — wronged by the legal system, in many cases over decades, and then suddenly put on the street with no preparation or plan for facing the outside world.
—
Olivia Olander,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Jan. 2026
The civil rights counts against Buck Aldridge are not related to the fatal shooting of the exonerated man, Leonard Cure, whom Aldridge killed during a struggle after a traffic stop in 2023.
—
Phil Helsel,
NBC news,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
Landry and Murrill have pointed to the 2011 plea deal in objecting to Duncan calling himself exonerated.
—
Safiyah Riddle,
Los Angeles Times,
3 July 2026
No state has exonerated more death row prisoners, 30 men in all.
—
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
30 June 2026
Though Cady has made some gestures toward helping the Bowdens, like his behind-the-scenes effort to get one of Anna’s death-row clients exonerated last week, Tom and Anna should not be so dumb as to ignore his ulterior motives.
—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
26 June 2026
The four men were exonerated in February after investigators linked another man, Robert Eugene Brashers, to the killings.
—
Erin Moriarty,
CBS News,
26 June 2026
Drake’s team usually scrounged up the clues that later exonerated Mason’s clients.
—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
Levine said internet protocol records, which include the geographic location of an internet user, would have exonerated him.
—
Jack Harvel,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
My opponent, Allan Culver, fails to address the glaring fact that he (along with his co-prosecutor, who resigned) was banned from appearing in court by all four Circuit Court judges for over 15 months due to ethical and legal violations, for which he was never officially exonerated.
—
George Psoras,
Baltimore Sun,
10 June 2026
After the podcast fans brought the case to the attention of Odessa, Texas, police chief Michael Gerke (the podcast listener’s father), Reyos was exonerated in 2023 and awarded $80,000 per year of his incarceration by the state of Texas, amounting to almost $2 million.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exonerated
Adjective
-
Not all pads are alike, but a footprint on the larger side involves five to ten acres of cleared, packed ground that serves as the hub for drilling equipment, which can include wellheads, pump jacks, tanks, wastewater storage pits, trailers, and flare stacks.
-
What counts as a cleared sidewalk?
Verb
-
In a dissenting opinion, a member of the panel, Andi Saputra, argued that there was not enough evidence and Marakim should be acquitted.
-
Babeuf was betrayed by an informant, put on trial in 1797, and eventually acquitted of conspiracy, but he was executed for committing his ideas about inequality to print.
Cite this Entry
“Exonerated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exonerated. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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