Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atoning
Verb
-
Ashley becomes desperate to get Sofia back and starts to think that confessing to Miran's crimes might be the answer.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025 -
Nickerson was immediately terminated after confessing to the behavior, McKinzie wrote in an email to the congregation at the time.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Huda issues an apology after downplaying the incident After initially downplaying the outrage over her reaction, Mustafa posted another statement on Wednesday publicly apologizing to Carthen.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Mustafa then shared an official statement hours later to her account apologizing directly to Carthen for the whole situation.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Some Republicans and Democrats criticized Vance’s response for excusing or downplaying the nature of the chat messages.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Celebrating or excusing violence is abhorrent.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As America attempts to reclaim its pride by whitewashing its unflattering histories, Springsteen’s struggle to balance light and dark on these pointedly American recordings is tremendously poignant.—
Will Hermes,
Rolling Stone,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Film workers for Palestine target those complicit, film companies and institutions, that are whitewashing or justifying Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its apartheid regime.—
Minyvonne Burke,
NBC news,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As reported by The Athletic last week, Aston Martin still had to enter an Accepted Breach Agreement (ABA) with the FIA to recognize its late submission which resulted from extenuating circumstances beyond the team’s control.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
28 Oct. 2025
-
But only one home can qualify at a time, unless there are extenuating circumstances, such as relocating for a new job.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
For now, Yamamoto is on top of the world, justifying every dollar of the $325 million investment the Dodgers made in him.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Giuffre takes an interest in Epstein’s own self-justifying attitude toward his crimes.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
25 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Atoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atoning. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share