(of persons) freed from or not subject to an obligation or liability (as e.g. taxes) to which others or other things are subject; "a beauty somehow exempt from the aging process"; "exempt from jury duty"; "only the very poorest citizens should be exempt from income taxes"
grant relief or an exemption from a rule or requirement to; "She exempted me from the exam"
a deliberate act of omission; "with the exception of the children, everyone was told the news"
an instance that does not conform to a rule or generalization; "all her children were brilliant; the only exception was her last child"; "an exception tests the rule"
grounds for adverse criticism; "his authority is beyond exception"
a chemical substance derivable from a mold or bacterium that kills microorganisms and cures infections; "when antibiotics were first discovered they were called wonder drugs"
a note explaining an absence; "he had to get his mother to write an excuse for him"
a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.; "he kept finding excuses to stay"; "every day he had a new alibi for not getting a job"; "his transparent self-justification was unacceptable"
excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with; "excuse someone's behavior"; "She condoned her husband's occasional infidelities"
serve as a reason or cause or justification of; "Your need to sleep late does not excuse your late arrival at work"; "Her recent divorce may explain her reluctance to date again"
grant exemption or release to; "Please excuse me from this class"
ask for permission to be released from an engagement
accept an excuse for; "Please excuse my dirty hands"
a right reserved exclusively by a particular person or group (especially a hereditary or official right); "suffrage was the prerogative of white adult males"
a substance that destroys micro-organisms that carry disease without harming body tissues
(extended sense) of exceptionally clean language; "lyrics as antiseptic as Sunday School"
clean and honest; "antiseptic financial practices"
thoroughly clean and free of or destructive to disease-causing organisms; "doctors in antiseptic green coats"; "the antiseptic effect of alcohol"; "it is said that marjoram has antiseptic qualities"
made free from live bacteria or other microorganisms; "sterilized instruments"
freeing from error or corruption; "the antiseptic effect of sturdy criticism"
the remission by the pope of the temporal punishment in purgatory that is still due for sins even after absolution; "in the Middle Ages the unrestricted sale of indulgences by pardoners became a widespread abuse"
the act of indulging or gratifying a desire
a disposition to yield to the wishes of someone; "too much indulgence spoils a child"
an inability to resist the gratification of whims and desires