exculpatory
adjective

- involving the removal of blame from someone

- tending to clear from a charge of fault or guilt

Cambridge Dictionary, Collins Dictionary

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WORD ORIGIN

The word “exculpatory" derives from Latin, as do many of our legal and formal English terms.

It stems from the Latin verb exculpare, which means "to free from blame”; and ex- a prefix meaning "out of" or "from”, and culpa meaning "blame" or "fault”.

The verb "exculpate" entered English as a verb in the 1650s with the meaning "to clear from suspicion of wrong or guilt". It then took the adjectival form "exculpatory”, describing something that tends to clear from blame or fault.

Related words from the same Latin root culpa are “culpable" (deserving blame), and the antonym “inculpate" (to incriminate), using  in- (into) instead of ex- (out of).

“Exculpate" quickly became associated with legal contexts, referring to evidence or testimony that exonerates someone from guilt.

This etymology shows how Latin continues to influence legal and formal English vocabulary, providing precise terms for specific concepts, especially in fields like law and ethics.

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COCKAMAMIE EXCULPATORY REASONS TO NOT PAY BILLS



Which of these 10 excuses is your favourite?

1. “I’m on a spiritual journey to become one with my debt."

2. “I’ve been busy trying to teach my houseplants to photosynthesize money instead of oxygen."

3. "My identical twin has been impersonating me and racking up all these bills."

4. "I've been stuck in a YouTube loop of 'how to avoid paying bills' videos."

5. "I was abducted by aliens who don't believe in Earth's monetary system."

6. "I'm participating in a scientific study on the effects of not-paying-bills on blood pressure."

7. "My fortune cookie said, 'Ignore all bills,' and who am I to argue with ancient Chinese wisdom?"

8. "I'm building a time machine to go back and prevent myself from incurring this debt."

9. "I'm on a mission to find the edge of the flat Earth, where all debts are canceled."

10. "My cat knocked over my computer and accidentally transferred all my money to a Nigerian prince.

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SYNONYMS

absolving, all right, allowable, apologetical, clearing, condonable, defensible, EXCULPATORY, excusable, excusatory, exonerative, explainable, explanatory, fair, forgivable, get-out-of-jail-free card, justifiable, let off the hook, mitigating, not guilty, off the hook, pardonable, permissible, saving grace, vindicating

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“The cat's EXCULPATORY meow clearly absolved it of any involvement in the mysterious disappearance of the goldfish.”

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