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expiate

Verb
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

To atone for, make amends for, or seek to erase guilt arising from a wrong; often used in moral, religious, or tragic contexts.

Detailed Definition
To expiate something is to atone for it or try to cancel guilt. The speaker ends by feeling moral shame and sees his action as something that must be paid for.
Example
Example in poetry:
“And I have something to expiate: A pettiness” means to atone for wrongdoing; “He seeks to expiate his harsh refusal”; “No gift can wholly expiate the harm”; “The speaker tries to expiate a broken vow”
Additional Notes
In "And I have something to expiate," the verb is formal and uncommon in everyday reading.; Found in the poem, Snake by D. H. Lawrence
Also Known As
atone redeem absolve make amends
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