brushing (aside or off)

verb

present participle of brush (aside or off)
as in ignoring
to dismiss as of little importance brushed off their complaints as the whining of people who were never satisfied

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for brushing (aside or off)
  1. ignoring
  2. forgiving
  3. overlooking
  4. passing over
  5. explaining
  6. papering over
Verb
  • Cameron Berg, who founded the nonprofit Reciprocal Research to study the potential for AI consciousness, argues that ignoring the question could carry its own dangers.
    — Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Oct. 2026
  • With nearly 70% of listeners now consuming video podcasts, treating an interview as just a microphone chat means ignoring how your audience actually consumes content.
    — Victoria Usher, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of ignoring
Verb
  • The remarkably, borderline unbelievably forgiving Adams became good friends with her ex-husband.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
  • But after Gouken’s tragic murder — the particulars will eventually be revealed in flashbacks — Ken and Ryu went their separate ways, Ken never forgiving Ryu for failing to save Gouken’s life.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of forgiving
Verb
  • On a slight hill, wooden bench swings hover over the ground, overlooking many of the park’s trails.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Tinies Tinies in South Main Village offers a patio and upstairs terrace overlooking downtown Fort Worth.
    — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of overlooking
Verb
  • The probability of a hurricane passing over any particular point is low, especially farther from the Mexican coast, since most Pacific hurricanes tend to stay closer to Mexico.
    — Nicholas Grondin, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Related Articles The board previously resolved to erect new buildings for the Latino Museum and the American Women’s History Museum, passing over Arts and Industries.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of passing over
Verb
  • The old boy was perfectly reasonable, explaining the difference between federal reimbursement and state reimbursement, and the speed that agencies move on the different levels.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • As this is a Lynch film, explaining the rest of the plot would be a pointless exercise, but expect plentiful violence, stylish surrealism, and a road movie that’ll shock and delight in equal measure.
    — Daisy Jones, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of explaining
Verb
  • But many residents worry that the festive mood and infrastructure works risk papering over the security crisis that still affects their daily lives.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 4 June 2026
  • The improvement between Gemini 2 and Gemini 3 may be papering over a more serious flaw.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of papering over
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.

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brushing
brushing (aside or off)
brushing (off)
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Cite this Entry

“Brushing (aside or off).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brushing%20%28aside%20or%20off%29. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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