Meaning & use
expiatory
Last updated
Serving to make amends or atone for wrongdoing or sin.
See it in a sentence
The monk performed an expiatory pilgrimage to atone for his past sins.
The fine was seen as an expiatory gesture rather than genuine punishment.
A note on using this word
Expiatory derives from Latin expiare, 'to atone for,' the same root as the word 'expiate.'
Words with a similar meaning
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