verb (used with object) vindicates , present (3rd person singular) vindicated , past participle, past vindicating present participle to clear, as from an accusation, imputation, suspicion, or the like. to vindicate someone's honor. Synonyms: exonerate to clear, as from an accusation, imputation, suspicion, or the like. to vindicate someone's honor. to afford justification for; justify . Subsequent events vindicated his policy. to afford justification for; justify . Subsequent events vindicated his policy. to uphold or justify by argument or evidence. to vindicate a claim. Synonyms: substantiate to uphold or justify by argument or evidence. to vindicate a claim. to assert, maintain, or defend (a right, cause, etc.) against opposition. Synonyms: substantiate to assert, maintain, or defend (a right, cause, etc.) against opposition. to claim for oneself or another. to claim for oneself or another. Roman and Civil Law. to regain possession, under claim of title of property through legal procedure, or to assert one's right to possession. Roman and Civil Law. to regain possession, under claim of title of property through legal procedure, or to assert one's right to possession. to get revenge for; avenge . to get revenge for; avenge . Obsolete. to deliver from; liberate. Obsolete. to deliver from; liberate. Obsolete. to punish. Obsolete. to punish. to clear from guilt, accusation, blame, etc, as by evidence or argument to clear from guilt, accusation, blame, etc, as by evidence or argument to provide justification for his promotion vindicated his unconventional attitude to provide justification for his promotion vindicated his unconventional attitude to uphold, maintain, or defend (a cause, etc) to vindicate a claim to uphold, maintain, or defend (a cause, etc) to vindicate a claim Roman law to bring an action to regain possession of (property) under claim of legal title Roman law to bring an action to regain possession of (property) under claim of legal title rare to claim, as for oneself or another rare to claim, as for oneself or another obsolete to take revenge on or for; punish obsolete to take revenge on or for; punish obsolete to set free obsolete to set free Other Word Forms vindicator noun revindicate verb (used with object) self-vindicated adjective self-vindicating adjective unvindicated adjective vindicatory adjective Inflected Forms vindicating present vindicated past Conjugated Forms vindicate simple vindicates simple have vindicated perfect has vindicated perfect am vindicating progressive are vindicating progressive is vindicating progressive have been vindicating perfect progressive has been vindicating perfect progressive vindicated simple had vindicated perfect

was vindicating progressive were vindicating progressive had been vindicating perfect progressive will vindicate simple will have vindicated perfect will be vindicating progressive will have been vindicating perfect progressive Origin of vindicate First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin vindicātus (past participle of vindicāre “to lay legal claim to (property); to free (someone) from servitude (by claiming him as free); to protect, avenge, punish),“ equivalent to vindic- (stem of vindex “claimant, protector, avenger”) + -ātus -ate 1 Vindicate means to justify, prove, or reinforce an idea — or to absolve from guilt. If your family thinks you hogged the last piece of pie on Thanksgiving, you'll be vindicated when your younger brother fesses up. Vindicate derives from the Latin vindicatus , which is the past tense of vindicare , meaning "lay claim to" or "avenge." When a physicist proves a theory that his colleagues derided, he vindicates it. When a lawyer clears her client's name in a trial, she vindicates him. Machiavelli argued that the results he got vindicated his tactics — in other words, the ends justified the means. Vocabulary lists containing vindicate 100 Top "SAT" Words Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide! Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use! The Scarlet Letter Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time! Example Sentences Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com. See Examples For: They can go into federal court and sue and vindicate their rights that way immediately. From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026 Moreover, a recent late-stage study of its tozorakimab drug candidate for smokers’ cough seems to vindicate AstraZeneca’s approach of developing potentially the best—rather than first—of its class of medicines, Bernstein notes. From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026 "I think Salah's trying to vindicate himself and make himself feel better because he's had a very poor season," said Rooney. From BBC ● May 18, 2026 Megan notes that the data vindicate Fed officials’ decision to keep interest rates steady at the January meeting. From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026 Still, Picasso believed in his vision, and he believed that the future would vindicate him. From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day To AI-safety experts, it vindicates what they have been warning about all along: that AI systems would cause real-world harms and evade attempts to control them. From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026 These analysts will claim that the stock market’s huge rally to begin this week’s trading vindicates their beliefs. From MarketWatch ● Mar. 23, 2026 This is a moment really that vindicates truth-telling. From Slate ● Nov. 7, 2025 Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim admitted his side were fortunate with the decision, and feels it vindicates the use of VAR, even if his side benefited on this occassion from its absence. From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2025 One who defends, vindicates, or espouses any cause by argument; a pleader; as, an advocate of free trade, an advocate of truth. From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Noah Webster Does any part of you feel strangely vindicated by all of this? From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026 But once relegation had been confirmed, the Northern Irishman maintained that recruitment had been in the club's "best long-term interests", a view that has arguably since been vindicated . From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026 Economists who don’t think the Fed needs to hike this year felt vindicated . From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026 Pauling may never be fully vindicated, but neither was he simply deluded. From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026 Although it didn’t take away from all the suffering he had caused, I did feel vindicated . From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad “It is a bit vindicating to see this happen in the wild,” said Jeffrey Ladish, executive director of Palisade Research, a nonprofit AI lab that studies AI capabilities to better understand risks. From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026 So watching the rest of the world finally catch up feels a little vindicating . From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026 But the case was a close one with only five justices full-throatedly vindicating the Fourth Amendment’s privacy protection goals. From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026 For Ali Salehpour, it felt somewhat vindicating to hear those words. From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2025 Thus vindicating those who bore influence in her formative years. From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023 Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer. You'll remember them forever.