EXCUSES Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

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

Relevance

excuses

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of excuse

as in ignores

to dismiss as of little importance more often than not, voters are willing to excuse a candidate's youthful indiscretion

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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as in explains

to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses he's always excusing his chronic lying by claiming that everybody lies

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of excuses

Noun

Trouble is, the Legislature has had no trouble finding excuses to enact and renew an ever-lengthening list of exemptions. —

Martin Dyckman, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026 Authorities in nearly a dozen Russian regions in recent weeks cited various excuses to prevent demonstrations against internet censorship and the blocking of the popular messaging app Telegram. —

ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026 Department leaders have provided endless excuses but no report. —

Editorial Board, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2026 For the next several hours—the film, though extraordinarily rigorous, is not bound by the strictures of real time—Kornev’s persistence will be met with deflections, delays, and excuses. —

Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026 This weekend, book lovers don't need to come up with excuses to visit their favorite local bookstores, adding new books to their ever-growing bookshelves (and TBR pile). —

Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 19 Mar. 2026 Carroll County can choose excellence or choose excuses. —

Randy Linville, Baltimore Sun, 18 Mar. 2026 No more fluffing around and no more excuses. —

Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 18 Mar. 2026 At the end of the day, no excuses. —

Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 18 Mar. 2026

Verb

None of that excuses the crimes. —

Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026 Lost Lambs features an all-white cast in an anonymous American suburb, which excuses Cash from having to engage head-on with race. —

Malavika Kannan, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2026 In professional sports, excuses age quickly. —

Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2026 The rep excuses herself; in the hallway, Stephen congratulates Lucy. —

Jp Mangalindan, Time, 17 Feb. 2026 So people tend to define antisemitism in a way that excuses their side, and that throws all of the blame on the other side. —

David Remnick, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026 For true Second Amendment advocates, Pretti’s decision to bring a gun to a protest in no way excuses his killing. —

The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026 Nick excuses the killing of Renee Good for blocking traffic, but the videos clearly show that traffic was going around her. —

Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2026 Researchers emphasized that none of these conditions excuses Hitler’s actions or policies. —

Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 14 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for excuses

Noun

These fragments often convey shifting or conflicting justifications.

— Letters to the Editor, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
Shapiro’s office also determined that three of MassDOT’s seven selection committee members did not follow the instructions to record their scoring justifications on evaluation worksheets.

— Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 13 Mar. 2026