Words / E / General

expiate

verb/ˈɛkspɪeɪt/

C2CEFR level
78/100Rarity: rare
FormalRegister

To atone for or make amends for guilt or wrongdoing.

He spent the rest of his life trying to expiate that single reckless act.

Similar: atone, redeem, make amends

Origin: From Latin expiare, from ex- (fully) + piare (appease).

Topic: atonement in General English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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