"exculpation" in the noun sense
1. excuse, alibi, exculpation, self-justification
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"
2. exculpation
the act of freeing from guilt or blame
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
Princeton University "About WordNet®."
WordNet®. Princeton University. 2010.
View WordNet® License