Vindicated

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To be exonerated from blame or doubt after enduring scrutiny or challenges
2. To attain a position of being confirmed and justified in one's principles or actions after experiencing disbelief or reproach
3. Declared free from guilt or suspicion after investigation ; proven to be correct or reasonable in belief or conduct

Etymology: The Latin verb "vindicare" was a legal word first. To vindicate something was to lay formal claim to it, as when a person asserted ownership of property or a man claimed his freedom from slavery. The sense of "set free" was part of that legal vocabulary from the start, so the modern idea of being cleared of blame grows naturally out of a courtroom claim of right. The Latin word itself is built from two pieces: "vim," the accusative of "vis," meaning force or power, and "dicere," to say or declare. Put together, the original image is of declaring something by force of law, asserting a claim with authority behind it. That blend of force and speech gave the word its double life, both protecting and punishing, depending on who was doing the declaring. English took the word from Latin, and the sense of clearing someone's name retains that old legal flavour. When a person is vindicated, their innocence is formally asserted and their accusers' claim is set aside, which is exactly the act the Latin word first described.

Synonyms: absolved, exonerated, acquitted, justified, defended

Antonyms: accused, blamed, condemned, impeached, incriminated