exculpation.

The clearing of someone from blame or responsibility for wrongdoing.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• evidence of exculpation
• grounds for exculpation

On the page

The missing receipt became the basis for his exculpation rather than his conviction.

Usage notes

Primary category: analysis / argumentation / evidence. Forms: Usually uncountable; no ordinary plural in this sense. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: evidence, evaluation. Commonness: moderately common.