absolve Meaning, Definition & Usage
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verb grant remission of a sin to
shrive.
- The priest absolved him and told him to say ten Hail Mary's
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verb let off the hook
free; justify.
- I absolve you from this responsibility
WordNet
Ab*solve" transitive verb
Etymology
L.Wordforms
Definitions
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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; toabsolve an offender, which amounts to an acquittal and remission of his punishment.Halifax was absolved by a majority of fourteen. Macaulay.
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To free from a penalty; to pardon; to remit (a sin); -- said of the sin or guilt. In his name I absolve your perjury. Gibbon.
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To finish; to accomplish. Obs.The work begun, how soon absolved. Milton.
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To resolve or explain. Obs."We shall not absolve the doubt." Sir T. Browne.
Syn. -- To Absolve ,Exonerate ,Acquit .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.