No one will blame you for having questions about the origins of exculpatory. The adjective comes from a combination of the prefix ex-, meaning "out of" or "away from," and the Latin noun culpa, which means "blame" or "guilt." Something exculpatory, then, frees one from accusations. Culpa has given English a number of other words, including the verb exculpate ("to clear from alleged fault or guilt"). The related but lesser-known terms inculpate ("to incriminate") and inculpatory ("incriminating") are antonyms of exculpate and exculpatory.Culpable is a synonym of blameworthy, and mea culpa refers to a formal acknowledgment of personal fault or error.
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebProsecutors withheld exculpatory evidence from Lincoln’s defense team. Chris Pomorski, The New Republic, 23 June 2022 While the court did not address the felony murder issue, the court did find major violations of prosecutorial duty to share exculpatory evidence with the defense before trial. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 7 June 2022 The attorneys are obligated to disclose potentially exculpatory information to defendants. Lewis Kamb, Star Tribune, 31 July 2021 In the Sadr case, government lawyers acknowledged failures in quickly disclosing potentially exculpatory information during, before and after the trial. Mengqi Sun, WSJ, 19 Feb. 2021 The Sea Lady might be an exculpatory study of romantic folly and erotic pursuit. Stephanie Burt, The New Republic, 29 Mar. 2022 But very early on, Dr. Stone came to believe that their job was in fact to rubber-stamp the government’s own self-exculpatory assessment.New York Times, 1 Feb. 2022 There is the persistent use of the exculpatory passive voice, for one thing. Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2021 While largely admiring in tone, no grisly detail is omitted — and who would want to answer for any number of the stories told, especially when, in 2021, young and extremely high is no longer considered exculpatory.Washington Post, 2 Dec. 2021 See More