Dictionary

vindicate en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈvɪndɪˌkeɪ̯t/
• [ˈvɪndɪˌkʰeɪ̯t]
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vindicātus, perfect passive participle of vindicō (“lay legal claim to something; set free; protect, avenge, punish”), from vim, accusative singular of vīs (“force, power”), + dīcō (“say; declare, state”). See avenge.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To clear of an accusation, suspicion or criticism.
   • to vindicate someone's honor
   • As a man of vision, he understood this. Without Cerberus, humanity was doomed to an existence of groveling subservience at the feet of alien masters. Still, there were those who would call what he did criminal. Unethical. Amoral. History would vindicate him, but until it did he and his followers were forced to exist in hiding, working toward their goals in secret. 2008, Drew Karpyshyn, Mass Effect: Ascension, Del Rey Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 3:
2. (transitive) To justify by providing evidence.
   • Also see: United National Congress, Trinidad and Tobago
   • Kamla Persad Bissessar: " We have been vindicated, but it is a victory for the people"
   • The Ukrainians immediately demanded a goal and their claims were vindicated as replays showed the ball crossed the line before Terry's intervention. 2012 June 19, Phil McNulty, “England 1-0 Ukraine”, in BBC Sport:
   • to vindicate a right, claim or title
3. (transitive) To maintain or defend (a cause) against opposition.
   • When Trump's election pulled back the curtain on the rise of the far-right in America, I'd naively assumed the Jewish left would be vindicated. 2019, Eli Valley, “A Springtime of Erasure”, in Jewish Currents, number Fall 2019, page 14:
   • to vindicate the rights of labor movement in developing countries
4. (transitive) To be proven reasonable, correct, or justified.
5. (transitive) To provide justification for.
   • The violent history of the suspect vindicated the use of force by the police.
6. (transitive) To lay claim to; to assert a right to; to claim.
7. (obsolete, transitive) To liberate; to set free; to deliver.
8. (obsolete, transitive) To avenge; to punish.
   • a war to vindicate infidelity

Forms

Deriveds

revindicate · vindicator · vindicatory · vindication · vindictive

Synonyms

exonerate · absolve · clear · acquit · vindicate · exonerate · absolve · exculpate · disculp · disculpate · clear · assoilzie · assoil · acquittance

Translations (118)

da retfærdiggøre (to justify by providing evidence) · ru опра́вдывать (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · pl usprawiedliwiać (to provide justification) · de entlasten (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · tr temize çıkarmak (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · az bəraət qazandırmaq (to provide justification) · pl uzasadniać (to provide justification) · tr müdafaa etmek (to provide justification) · de rechtfertigen (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · tr savunmak (to provide justification) · az doğrultmaq (to provide justification) · cs obhájit (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · nl gelijk geven (to provide justification) · pl oczyszczać z zarzutów (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · de geltend machen (to claim) · nl blaam zuiveren (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · uk відсто́ювати (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · fi perustella (to justify by providing evidence) · tr savunmak (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · fr faire valoir (to justify by providing evidence) · kmr parastin (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · pl twierdzić (to claim) · la vindicō (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · de verteidigen (to provide justification) · de rehabilitieren (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · es defender (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · az haqq qazandırmaq (to provide justification) · nl doen gelden (to claim) · ru защища́ть (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · de nachweisen (to justify by providing evidence) · de vertreten (to claim) · pl obronić (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · uk ви́правдати (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · uk захища́ти (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · pl oczyścić z zarzutów (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · bg отстоявам (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · pl bronić (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · da bevise (to justify by providing evidence) · nb bevise (to justify by providing evidence) · es vindicar (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · pl dowieść (to justify by providing evidence) · kmr pak kirin (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · cs obhájit (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · cs prokázat správnost (to justify by providing evidence) · de verfechten (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · hu vindikál (to claim) · cs očistit (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · ru оправда́ть (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · tr ispat etmek (to justify by providing evidence) · fi vaatia (to claim) · es reclamar (to claim) · uk дово́дити (to justify by providing evidence) · fr défendre (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · cmn 證實 /证实 (to justify by providing evidence) · cs obhájit (to justify by providing evidence) · kmr peyitandin (to justify by providing evidence) · mi whakaharakore (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · fr justifier (to provide justification) · da retfærdiggøre (to provide justification) · uk довести́ (to justify by providing evidence) · nl bevestigen (to justify by providing evidence) · da forsvare (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · de beweisen (to justify by providing evidence) · fr revendiquer (to claim) · de rechtfertigen (to justify by providing evidence) · la vindicō (to justify by providing evidence) · ka გამართლება (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · pl dowodzić (to justify by providing evidence) · fr réclamer (to claim) · nb forfekte (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · tl linisin ang pangalan (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · es justificar (to provide justification) · uk виправдо́вувати (to provide justification) · de beanspruchen (to claim) · uk відстоя́ти (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · kmr daxwaz kirin (to claim) · fr blanchir (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · tr müdafaa etmek (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · cs obhájit (to provide justification) · tr haklı çıkarmak (to justify by providing evidence) · pl uzasadnić (to provide justification) · kmr peyitandin (to provide justification) · cs ospravedlnit (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · da stå inde for (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · nb forsvare (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · nl rechtvaardigen (to justify by providing evidence) · sv rättfärdiga (to provide justification) · da renvaske (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · nl opeisen (to claim) · uk захисти́ти (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · fr revendiquer (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · fi puhdistaa (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · nl gelijk krijgen (to justify by providing evidence) · de rechtfertigen (to provide justification) · bg оправдавам (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · bg доказвам (to justify by providing evidence) · got 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌾𐍉𐌽 (to justify by providing evidence) · nb stå inne for (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · de einstehen für (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · nl verdedigen (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · fi puolustaa (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · de verteidigen (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · fr affirmer (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · nl verantwoorden (to provide justification) · uk ви́правдати (to provide justification) · uk виправдо́вувати (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · nb rettferdiggjøre (to justify by providing evidence) · cs ospravedlnit (to provide justification) · de verteidigen (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · ka დაცვა (to maintain or defend a cause against opposition) · fi osoittaa oikeaksi (to provide justification) · nb renvaske (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · nl vrijspreken (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · cs dát za pravdu (to justify by providing evidence) · de reinwaschen (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · tr talep etmek (to claim) · sv rentvå (to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism) · pl usprawiedliwić (to provide justification)