Synonyms of excuses

excuses 1 of 2

noun

plural of excuse

as in justifications

an explanation that frees one from fault or blame

"a really important business call" is no excuse for not paying proper attention to one's driving

Synonyms & Similar Words

• justifications
• reasons
• apologies
• alibis
• pleas
• defenses
• pretexts
• rationalizations
• rationales
• outs
• pretenses
• cop-outs
• confessions
• vindications
• colors
• acknowledgments
• guises
• atonements
• whitewashes
• extenuations
• palliations

excuses

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of excuse

1

as in ignores

to dismiss as of little importance

more often than not, voters are willing to excuse a candidate's youthful indiscretion

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ignores
• forgives
• justifies
• pardons
• explains
• overlooks
• discounts
• forgives and forgets
• disregards
• papers over
• shrugs off
• passes over
• whitewashes
• condones
• brushes (aside or off)
• remits
• blinks (at)
• overpasses
• glosses (over)
• winks (at)
• rationalizes
• exculpates
• glozes (over)
• exonerates
• absolves
• closes one's eyes to
• waves (aside or off)
• vindicates
• acquits
• waives
• clears

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• minds
• notes
• objects (to)
• marks
• heeds

2

as in justifies

to be an acceptable reason for

having a female passenger in labor will generally excuse a little disregard for the speed limit

Synonyms & Similar Words

• justifies
• explains
• alibis
• accounts (for)
• rationalizes
• ignores
• explains away
• condones
• brushes (aside or off)
• forgives
• pardons
• passes over
• winks (at)
• shrugs off
• glosses (over)
• disregards
• remits
• glozes (over)

3

as in explains

to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses

he's always excusing his chronic lying by claiming that everybody lies

Synonyms & Similar Words

• justifies
• explains
• extenuates
• explains away
• palliates
• glosses (over)
• whitewashes
• apologizes
• deodorizes
• accounts (for)
• confesses
• rationalizes
• minimizes
• glozes (over)
• varnishes
• atones
• sugarcoats
• exculpates
• plays down
• moderates
• exonerates
• alleviates
• absolves
• mitigates
• tempers
• vindicates
• soft-pedals
• lessens
• softens
• eases
• acquits
• lightens
• clears

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of excuses

Noun

Kiffin understands that excuses aren’t going to fly, even if some are valid about recruiting during a time when coaches were traveling back and forth from Oxford to Baton Rouge. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026

The Galliano incident had nothing to do with Israel or the kinds of excuses some people are using today for antisemitism. — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2026

But none of those goals excuses adopting a budget that rests on money that does not exist today. — Angel Gutierrez, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026

None of the money was ever returned to the customers, and Engle provided them with false excuses as to why the loans hadn’t been funded, federal attorneys said. — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Aug. 2026

Likewise, don't let someone else's excuses diminish what happened. — Brian Taylor, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Yes, the excuses used to finally get them in the same frame together run the gamut from strained to getthefuckouttahere. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026

There’s a fine line in scouting between finding rational reasons for a lack of production and making excuses for a player. — Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 27 July 2026

There’s no room for excuses after the moves the Rams made this offseason. — Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 23 July 2026

Verb

For me, the larger question is not whether artistic behavior excuses transgression, but how to hold artistic achievement and ethical accountability together without allowing one to erase the other. — Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 3 Aug. 2026

Instead, some attack our business's fees, as though changing the subject somehow excuses copying another company's intellectual property. — Brian Taylor, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

In another instance, Mecklenburg allegedly excuses skeptical grand jurors from serving after arguing with them. — Hannah Meisel, CBS News, 9 June 2026

With no more patients in the waiting room, Dua excuses herself to see Haynes in the OR, where medical resident Lee has begun the procedure. — Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 8 June 2026

Because her beauty excuses all. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 1 June 2026

The Justice Department says Bondi’s ouster excuses her from having to appear. — NBC news, 12 Apr. 2026

Continue reading … MEDIA HALL PASS — Nashville public school excuses Muslim students for daily prayer time during Ramadan. — FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026

And while absolutely none of that excuses my actions, that's what happened. — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026