What does vindicate mean?
Word: Vindicate
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Vindicate means to show that someone who was blamed or doubted was right after all.
Synonyms: justify, exonerate
Antonyms: blame, accuse, discredit
How do you spell vindicate?
Syllables: vin - di - cate
Tricky part: The middle vowel is i: vin-di-cate. It is said weakly, so students write vindecate or vindacate.
Watch out for: vindecate, vindacate, vindicat
Memory tip: The dic in the middle is the same dic as in predict and dictionary: d, i, c, with an i that is easy to lose when said fast.
Vindicate in a sentence
Example 1: The rain that afternoon vindicated Grandma's decision to postpone the picnic.
Example 2: Her decision to carry an umbrella was vindicated when the storm broke at noon.
Example 3: The scientists hoped the experiment would vindicate their theory.
Fun Fact
Vindicate comes from the Latin vindicare, to claim or to set free, and English has used it for more than four hundred years.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word vindicate as used in the sentence:
The final report will vindicate the young engineer who first warned about the cracks in the bridge.
a) ignore
b) clear
c) promote
d) replace
Show answer
b) clear. The report will show the engineer was right, clearing his name.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence and choose the word they make:
The test results will tdiancive his claim that the water from the new well was safe to drink.
a) vindictive
b) vindicate
c) dedicate
d) indicate
Show answer
b) vindicate. Indicate has no v, vindictive has no a, and dedicate would need a second d and e.
Word Cookie
One word in this sentence is misspelt. Find it:
The weather report seemed to vindicate our decision to hold the sports day indoors, because heavy rain was expected all afternoon in the nieghbourhood.
a) nieghbourhood
b) vindicate
c) decision
d) afternoon
Show answer
a) nieghbourhood. Neighbour follows the ei of weigh and eight, so it is neighbourhood.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. vindicate 2. dedicate 3. comunicate 4. eradicate
a) to share news or ideas with others
b) to get rid of something completely
c) to prove someone right
d) to give your time to a cause
Show answer
a) to share news or ideas with others. Communicate has a double m, as in community.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A person who has been vindicated has been ____.
a) moved to a different class
b) given a much harder task
c) proved correct in the end
d) asked to apologise again
Show answer
c) proved correct in the end
2. Noah's choice of route was vindicated when ____.
a) his scooter ran out of petrol
b) he arrived later than all his friends
c) he forgot the way back home
d) the other road was blocked by a fallen tree
Show answer
d) the other road was blocked by a fallen tree
