absolve
ab-ZOLV
/əbˈzɒlv/
To set or declare someone free from blame, guilt, or responsibility.
Absolve is something someone else does to you. It is the act of releasing you from a burden.
The story behind the word. From the Latin 'absolvere,' meaning 'to loosen from.' Imagine someone tied up in ropes of guilt, and the authority figure unties them.
Word relationships
- exonerate: Exonerate is more specifically legal; absolve can be moral or religious.
- convict: To formally declare someone guilty.
Commonly confused with
- dissolve: Dissolve is to break something down; absolve is to 'loosen' a person from a debt or sin.
Word family
- absolution (noun): Formal release from guilt or punishment.
Collocations
- absolve from blame
- absolve of guilt
- fully absolve
Example sentences
- "The report absolved the pilot of any responsibility for the crash." Legal exoneration.
- "The priest said, 'I absolve you from your sins.'" Religious context.
Memory hook
Absolve = 'Ab-Solve'. You 'solve' the problem by taking the guilt 'ab' (away). Loosening the chains of guilt.
When not to use
You cannot 'absolve' yourself in a formal sense; usually, an authority figure (judge, priest, parent) does the absolving.
Fun facts
- The word 'solvent' (able to pay debts) comes from the same root—both involve being free from a burden.
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