vindicate
verb
Simple meaning
Clear of accusation, blame, suspicion, or doubt with supporting proof.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
vinduhkaytSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈvɪndəkeɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Clear of accusation, blame, suspicion, or doubt with supporting proof
“You must vindicate yourself and fight this libel.”
transitive
To clear of an accusation, suspicion or criticism.
transitive
To justify by providing evidence.
Show to be right by providing justification or proof
Maintain, uphold, or defend
“Vindicate the rights of the citizens.”
transitive
To provide justification for.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Clear of accusation, blame, suspicion, or doubt with supporting proof
Used this way, vindicate is a common word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It quietly approves while staying precise.
“You must vindicate yourself and fight this libel.”
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Clear and precise
- Usage feel
- Precise and approving
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Clearverb
“You must vindicate yourself and fight this libel.”
Maintainverb
“Vindicate the rights of the citizens.”
More ways to use vindicate
- “You must vindicate yourself and fight this libel.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.