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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
Dalia Faheid, CNN, 5 Mar. 2025
Whenever potentially exculpatory information arose, it was often ignored.
—Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Mar. 2025
The difference is that Perry Mason himself really did use his knowledge of the legal fineries to get his exculpatory evidence introduced, while Ben Matlock mostly just monologued for the jury, blowing past every objection.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025
Aziz and Islam's estate have also separately sued in federal court, accusing the FBI of hiding exculpatory evidence.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for exculpatory
Cite this Entry
“Exculpatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exculpatory. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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exculpatory
adjective
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