Exculpating

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To absolve a person from accusations or guilt
2. Removing blame or fault from someone accused of wrongdoing
3. Showing that a person is not responsible for a fault or crime

Etymology: "Exculpating" is the present participle of "exculpate," which means to clear someone of blame. The verb descends from Medieval Latin "exculpare," built from "ex-," meaning "out" or "from," and "culpa," meaning "fault" or "blame." Its literal sense is something like "to take the fault out of" a person, which is exactly what the English word still does when it lifts guilt from someone. The word's most useful connection is to "culpable," which comes from the same Latin "culpa." A person who is "culpable" is deserving of blame, and to "exculpate" is to reverse that verdict. The pairing is a neat illustration of how a single Latin root can produce both an accusation and its opposite, depending on which prefix is attached.

Synonyms: absolving, clearing, vindicating, exonerating, justifying

Antonyms: accusing, blaming, condemning, faulting, incriminating