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The act of absolving can be seen as releasing someone from blame or sin, or "loosening" the hold that responsibility or guilt has on a person, which provides a hint about the word's origins. Absolve was adopted into Middle English in the 15th century from the Latin verb absolvere ("to release, acquit, finish, complete"), formed by combining the prefix ab- ("from, away, off") with solvere, meaning "to loosen." Absolve also once had additional senses of "to finish or accomplish" and "to resolve or explain," but these are now obsolete. Solvere is also the ancestor of the English words solve, dissolve, resolve, solvent, and solution.
Examples of absolve in a Sentence
David Remnick, The New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2024
Human rights groups like Amnesty International say such warnings do not absolve Israel of responsibilities under international humanitarian law to limit civilian harm.
—Kara Fox, CNN, 4 Oct. 2024
Hilderbrand’s version of this story takes its time to absolve every single rich person who could have contributed to Merritt’s demise, including the person most responsible: Abby Winbury, the pregnant daughter-in-law of Tag and Greer Garrison Winbury.
—Jen Chaney, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2024
Kenna must find a way to absolve the mistakes of her past in order to build a future out of hope and healing.
—Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY, 9 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for absolve 
Dictionary Entries Near absolve
Cite this Entry
“Absolve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/absolve. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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Legal Definition
absolve
transitive verb
In re Bruce R., 662 A.2d 107 (1995)Harbaugh v. Darr, 438 P.2d 74 (1968)
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