pardon vs exculpation

pardon and exculpation both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
pardon	Yes	No	Yes	No
exculpation	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, exculpation is a hyponym of pardon; that is, exculpation is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than pardon:

Other hyponyms of pardon include condonation.

pardon (noun)	exculpation (noun)
the act of excusing a mistake or offense	the act of freeing from guilt or blame
the formal act of liberating someone	a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.
a warrant granting release from punishment for an offense

pardon (verb)	exculpation (verb)
grant a pardon to
accept an excuse for