Roget’s II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition. 1995.
vindicate
VERB:
1. To defend, maintain, or insist on the recognition of (one's rights, for example): assert, claim. SeeATTACK. 2. To exact revenge for or from: avenge, pay back, pay off, redress, repay, requite. Informal :fix. Archaic :wreak. Idioms: even the score, get back at, get even with, pay back in kind (or in one's own coin) , settle (or square) accounts, take an eye for an eye. SeeFORGIVENESS. 3. To free from a charge or imputation of guilt: absolve, clear, exculpate, exonerate. Law :acquit, purge. SeeLAW. 4. To support against arguments, attack, or criticism: apologize, defend, justify, maintain. Idioms: speak up for, stand up for, stick up for. SeeSUPPORT. 5. To show to be just, right, or valid: excuse, justify, rationalize. Idioms: make a case for. SeeRIGHT.
