1.
[syn: absolved, clear, cleared, exculpated, exonerated, vindicated]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Absolve \Ab*solve"\ (#; 277), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Absolved; p.
pr. & vb. n. Absolving.] [L. absolvere to set free, to
absolve; ab + solvere to loose. See Assoil, Solve.]
1. To set free, or release, as from some obligation, debt, or
responsibility, or from the consequences of guilt or such
ties as it would be sin or guilt to violate; to pronounce
free; as, to absolve a subject from his allegiance; to
absolve an offender, which amounts to an acquittal and
remission of his punishment.
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Halifax was absolved by a majority of fourteen.
--Macaulay.
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2. To free from a penalty; to pardon; to remit (a sin); --
said of the sin or guilt.
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In his name I absolve your perjury. --Gibbon.
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3. To finish; to accomplish. [Obs.]
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The work begun, how soon absolved. --Milton.
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4. To resolve or explain. [Obs.] "We shall not absolve the
doubt." --Sir T.
Browne.
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Syn: To Absolve, Exonerate, Acquit.
Usage: We speak of a man as absolved from something that
binds his conscience, or involves the charge of
wrongdoing; as, to absolve from allegiance or from the
obligation of an oath, or a promise. We speak of a
person as exonerated, when he is released from some
burden which had rested upon him; as, to exonerate
from suspicion, to exonerate from blame or odium. It
implies a purely moral acquittal. We speak of a person
as acquitted, when a decision has been made in his
favor with reference to a specific charge, either by a
jury or by disinterested persons; as, he was acquitted
of all participation in the crime.
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
absolved
adj 1: freed from any question of guilt; "is absolved from all
blame"; "was now clear of the charge of cowardice"; "his
official honor is vindicated" [syn: absolved, clear,
cleared, exculpated, exonerated, vindicated]