vindicate
Definitions
To clear someone of blame, suspicion, or accusation; to prove innocent.
为…洗清罪名；证明…无辜；为…平反。
To show or prove that a decision, claim, or belief was right or justified.
证明（决定、主张、信念）是正确的、正当的。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedvindic (to claim by right) + -ate (verb-forming) = 'to assert a rightful claim.' In Roman law you laid a rod on what you claimed and declared it yours; in court that meant claiming — and proving — that the truth was on your side. That courtroom sense survives: to vindicate someone is to claim their innocence and back it up with proof, so the record shows they were right.
Root vindic still carries 6 more wordsCommon Collocations
- 1.vindicate someone为某人平反
- 2.feel vindicated感到被证明是对的
- 3.vindicate a decision证明某决定正确
- 4.fully vindicated完全得到证实
Example Sentences
- 1.
The DNA evidence finally vindicated the man after twenty years in prison.
- 2.
She felt completely vindicated when the report proved her warnings were right.
- 3.
The team's championship win vindicated the coach's controversial strategy.
Easily Confused
vindicate vs justify — Both mean 'show something was right,' but vindicate clears a name against doubt or accusation (you were wrongly blamed, now you're proven right); justify gives reasons that make an action acceptable in the first place. You vindicate a person already attacked; you justify a choice before or as you make it.