exculpatory, adj. 1. acquitting, compurgatory, exonerative, exonerating, vindicatory, vindicative, vindicating, exculpating; absolutory, absolvent, absolving, forgiving, pardoning, excusatory, excusing, remissive, remitting.
2. clement, lenient, indulgent, forbearing, sparing; merciful, humane, compassionate.
excursion, n. 1. outing, airing, drive, ride; jaunt, junket, stroll, ramble; walk, hike, trek, tramp, peregrination, pilgrimage; expedition, trip, tour, voyage, sail, cruise; globe-trotting, sightseeing.
2. deviation, digression, divagation, wandering off, excursus.
excursive, adj. (all of speech) discursive, digressive, wandering, roaming, roving, peripatetic, errant; rambling, aimless, desultory, unconnected, disconnected, random.
excusable, adj. forgivable, pardonable, condonable, understandable; allowable, permissible; venial, minor, slight.
excusatory, adj. exculpatory, exonerative, vindicatory, vindicative; apologetic, justificatory; extenuating, mitigating. excuse, v. 1. forgive, absolve, shrive, remit; forbear, spare, judge with leniency; pardon, amnesty, reprieve, exculpate, exonerate, vindicate; acquit, clear, prove innocent, uphold innocence, remove guilt; condone, make allowances for, overlook, pass over, wink at, disregard, forget, ignore, look the other way, pay no attention to.
2. apologize, repent, explain, extenuate, palliate, make excuses; defend oneself, rationalize, tell one's story, Inf. alibi, Inf. do a song and dance; justify, warrant, sanction, approve, allow, permit.
3. release, relieve, dismiss, discharge, free, liberate, let off, Inf. let off the hook; exempt, dispense with, except, exclude, leave [s.o.] out, keep [s.o.] out, Rom. Cath. Ch. dispense.
4. remit, waive, release from, let out of, Commerce. indulge, clear the books, wipe the slate clean.
-n. 5. explanation, story, apology, apologia, rationalization, argument, allegation, claim, assertion, Law. rejoinder, Law. deraignment, Inf. song and dance, Inf. alibi; reason, basis, grounds, support, justification, plea; extenuation, palliation, Law. demurrer, Law. rebutter, Law. essoin.
6. forgiveness, forgiving, absolution, absolving, shriving, remission, remitting; pardoning, reprieve, reprieving, respite, exculpation, exculpating, exoneration, exonerating, vindication, vindicating, acquittal, acquittance, acquitting, clearance, clearing; forbearance, sparing, judging with leniency, Both Rom. Cath. Ch. indulgence, indulgency; condonation, condoning, ex-cusal, overlooking, disregarding, ignoring.
7. pretext, ostensible reason, pretense, feint; subterfuge, escape, way out, out, loophole; evasion, elusion, means of avoiding, Inf. cop-out, Inf. stall.
8. makeshift, poor specimen, pitiful example, substitute. execrable, adj. 1. abominable, abhorrent, heinous, loathsome, odious, invidious, hateful, detestable, despicable, deplorable; offensive, atrocious, disgusting, rank, distasteful, repulsive, obnoxious.
