Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 18, 2026 is:

vindicate • \VIN-duh-kayt\  • verb

To vindicate someone is to show that they are not guilty. Vindicate can also mean “to show that someone or something that has been criticized or doubted is correct, true, or reasonable.”

// A series of testimonies helped vindicate the defendant.

// Their much-maligned approach to the problem has now been vindicated by these positive results.

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Examples:

“He [Bob Dylan] never expressed embarrassment over the dismal commercial failure of his would-be cinematic masterpiece, Renaldo and Clara, even after the film’s financers, Warner Bros., warned Dylan that the film’s nearly five hour running time would ensure its failure (which would prove true). Dylan insisted that the film needed every frame. And who knows, art history may vindicate him.” — Ron Rosenbaum, Bob Dylan: Things Have Changed, 2025

Did you know?

It’s hard not to marvel at the rich history of vindicate. Vindicate, which has been used in English since at least the mid-16th century, comes from a form of the Latin verb vindicare, meaning “to set free, avenge, or lay claim to.” Vindicare, in turn, comes from vindex, a noun meaning “claimant” or “avenger.” Truly, vindex has proven to be an incredible hulk of a word progenitor over the centuries. Other descendants of this “avenger” assembled in English include avenge itself, revenge, vengeance, vendetta, and vindictive.