Meaning & use
vindicate
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive
To prove that someone was right or innocent after people doubted or blamed them.
Grammar: Takes an object: new evidence vindicated the accused man.
Patterns
- vindicate someone
- vindicate someone's decision
- be vindicated by something
The DNA test vindicated the man who had spent years protesting his innocence.
Her patient research was vindicated when the theory was finally confirmed.
The final results vindicated the coach's decision to rest his star players.
verbtransitive
To show that an action, claim or belief was reasonable and deserved support.
Grammar: Often passive: the choice was vindicated by later events.
Patterns
- vindicate a claim
- be vindicated by events
Rising sales vindicated the company's bold move into new markets.
The inquiry vindicated the nurse's concerns about patient safety.
Later events vindicated our decision to leave early.
Word forms
| third person singular | vindicates |
|---|---|
| past tense | vindicated |
| past participle | vindicated |
| -ing form | vindicating |
Common combinations
- feel vindicated
- When the bridge held, the engineer felt vindicated.
- fully vindicate
- The report fully vindicated the whistleblower.
- be vindicated by the evidence
- Her position was vindicated by the evidence.
- vindicate a decision
- Strong ticket sales vindicated the decision to extend the run.
- vindicate a claim
- New data may vindicate his claim.
Synonyms and how they differ
- exonerate
- Exonerate means to clear someone of blame or a charge, while vindicate also suggests that their view or action was proven right.
- justify
- Justify gives reasons for an action, while vindicate shows by results or evidence that it was right.
- absolve
- Absolve means to declare someone free from guilt or blame, often formally, without proving they were correct.
- clear
- Clear is the everyday word for removing blame, but it lacks the sense of being proved right.
Opposites
Word family
- vindication noun
- proof that someone was right
- vindicated adjective
- shown to have been right
- vindicator noun
- a person who defends or proves something right
Commonly confused: vindicate or vindictive?
vindicate vs vindictive
Vindictive means wanting to get revenge on someone. It sounds similar to vindicate but has a different meaning.
Practice
After the investigation, the scientist felt ______ because the results proved her original theory correct.
Choose one answer.
Vindicated means shown to have been right. Vindictive means revenge-seeking and would not describe the feeling of being proved right.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vindicate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.