exculpatory

adjective

ex·​cul·​pa·​to·​ry ek-ˈskəl-pə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce exculpatory (audio)
: tending or serving to exculpate

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No one will blame you for having questions about the origins of exculpatory. The adjective comes from a combination of the prefix ex-, meaning "out of" or "away from," and the Latin noun culpa, which means "blame" or "guilt." Something exculpatory, then, frees one from accusations. Culpa has given English a number of other words, including the verb exculpate ("to clear from alleged fault or guilt"). The related but lesser-known terms inculpate ("to incriminate") and inculpatory ("incriminating") are antonyms of exculpate and exculpatory. Culpable is a synonym of blameworthy, and mea culpa refers to a formal acknowledgment of personal fault or error.

Examples of exculpatory in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The commission changed that policy under Albritton and voted 4-0 last year to adopt an advisory opinion that the commission was not required or permitted to disclose exculpatory information. Mike Cason | McAson@al.com, al, 26 June 2023 Gay has argued that his former attorney, Daye Shinn, took the role under fraudulent circumstances, advised him to admit to incriminating details and failed to introduce exculpatory evidence. James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2023 Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart's protective order also prevents the two men from sharing discovery − or potentially exculpatory information provided by the government − with the public or the media. Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 20 June 2023 In the landmark Brady decision, the Supreme Court ruled that prosecutors must provide exculpatory information to defense counsel. Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2023 The Ethics Commission’s policy is that is not required or permitted to disclose exculpatory information to those who are the target of an investigation. Mike Cason | McAson@al.com, al, 29 Nov. 2022 The documents, filed Friday, allege prosecutors failed to preserve potentially exculpatory evidence and that the two acting secretaries of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security at the time of the Duggar investigation weren’t properly appointed. USA TODAY, 24 Aug. 2021 Decades later, Philadelphia prosecutors moved to dismiss the murder convictions against Williams in both cases after having found tainted testimony and exculpatory evidence that police discovered but never shared with defense lawyers, officials said. David K. Li, NBC News, 21 Dec. 2022 The committee — composed of seven Democrats and two Republicans, all of whom are sharply critical of Trump — has made no effort to offer potentially exculpatory information. Rosalind S. Helderman, Washington Post, 20 July 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exculpatory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1781, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of exculpatory was in 1781

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Dictionary Entries Near exculpatory

Cite this Entry

“Exculpatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exculpatory. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Legal Definition

exculpatory

adjective
ex·​cul·​pa·​to·​ry ek-ˈskəl-pə-ˌtōr-ē How to pronounce exculpatory (audio)
: tending or serving to exculpate
an exculpatory clause in a contract
compare inculpatory

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