Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word in the sentence given below.
The court’s final verdict vindicated the journalist who had been accused of lying.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Cleared
In the given sentence, vindicated means proved to be right or free from blame after being accused or doubted. Its synonym is cleared. Example: The new report vindicated the engineer who had warned about the weak bridge.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Punished | made to suffer for doing wrong (the verdict showed that the journalist had not lied) | The boy was punished for breaking the window. |
| (2) Cleared (answer) | shown to be not guilty (same as vindicated) | The guard was cleared of the theft after the camera footage was checked. |
| (3) Praised | spoken well of (the verdict only proved the charge false and did not praise him) | The coach praised the team for its hard work. |
| (4) Warned | told about a danger or told not to do something again (the verdict freed the journalist from blame and gave no warning) | The teacher warned Sonu not to be late again. |
| Synonyms of vindicated: cleared, justified, exonerated, acquitted Antonyms of vindicated: blamed, accused, convicted, condemned |