Synonyms of excusing

excusing

verb

present participle of excuse

1

as in ignoring

to dismiss as of little importance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ignoring
• forgiving
• justifying
• overlooking
• explaining
• pardoning
• condoning
• disregarding
• discounting
• whitewashing
• remitting
• brushing (aside or off)
• passing over
• blinking (at)
• winking (at)
• rationalizing
• glossing (over)
• overpassing
• papering over
• shrugging off
• forgiving and forgetting
• absolving
• exonerating
• exculpating
• glozing (over)
• vindicating
• closing one's eyes to
• acquitting
• waiving
• waving (aside or off)
• clearing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• noting
• marking
• objecting (to)
• heeding
• minding

2

as in justifying

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

• justifying
• explaining
• rationalizing
• ignoring
• condoning
• accounting (for)
• forgiving
• brushing (aside or off)
• alibiing
• disregarding
• explaining away
• winking (at)
• pardoning
• passing over
• remitting
• glossing (over)
• shrugging off
• glozing (over)

3

as in explaining

to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• justifying
• explaining
• extenuating
• palliating
• whitewashing
• glossing (over)
• explaining away
• apologizing
• deodorizing
• confessing
• minimizing
• rationalizing
• glozing (over)
• atoning
• mitigating
• accounting (for)
• varnishing
• alleviating
• absolving
• sugarcoating
• exonerating
• exculpating
• softening
• moderating
• lessening
• vindicating
• tempering
• acquitting
• easing
• playing down
• lightening
• soft-pedaling
• clearing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of excusing

After excusing herself briefly from the conversation, Patricia returns to find the other guests whispering to Shelby about Patricia’s history of dishonesty about almost being a Boogeyman victim. —Jen Chaney, Vulture, 13 May 2026

The Appeals Court affirmed his convictions Tuesday and denied his motion for a new trial, overruling claims that there were issues with the judge not excusing a juror for cause and the defense counsel was ineffective. —Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 13 May 2026

Critics say the higher courts are excusing noncompliance In March, a federal appeals court ruled Sykes, the judge in California, had likely exceeded her authority in requiring bond hearings nationwide and blocked her February decision. —Sudhin Thanawala, Fortune, 2 May 2026

Cherfilus-McCormick has denied wrongdoing, excusing the allegations as an accounting error. —Lauren Peller, ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026

But Australians should maintain confidence in due process, and refrain from jumping to conclusions by either damning Roberts-Smith or excusing him. —The Week Uk, TheWeek, 19 Apr. 2026

And historians can talk about the Versailles treaty causing resentment in Germany, which led to the rise of Nazism in World War II, and that’s fine; that’s not excusing. —Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026

Americans must hold the president to a higher standard and stop excusing him like a misbehaving child from a broken home. —The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 7 Feb. 2026

But there’s no excusing Josh Allen’s four turnovers. —Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026