Synonyms of explained away

explained away

verb

past tense of explain away

1

as in explained

to give the reason for or cause of

after the surprise attack, military leaders struggled to explain away the nation's unpreparedness

Synonyms & Similar Words

• explained
• accounted (for)
• justified
• attributed
• rationalized
• condoned
• excused
• forgave
• exonerated
• absolved
• vindicated
• acquitted
• exculpated

2

as in excused

to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses

tried to explain away his adulterous affairs by saying that men are promiscuous by nature

Synonyms & Similar Words

• explained
• excused
• justified
• glossed (over)
• accounted (for)
• whitewashed
• deodorized
• glozed (over)
• confessed
• palliated
• extenuated
• played down
• minimized
• apologized
• varnished
• atoned
• alleviated
• mitigated
• rationalized
• softened
• sugarcoated
• tempered
• lightened
• vindicated
• lessened
• moderated
• acquitted
• exonerated
• absolved
• eased
• soft-pedaled
• exculpated
• cleared

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of explained away

There are other options, but regardless of what’s on the table for the future, burnout deserves to be taken seriously rather than explained away out of pride, guilt, or habit. — Scott Hanson, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Certainly, there are swing issues that can’t be explained away by a good week at Triple-A. — John Shipley, Twin Cities, 29 May 2026

Production is either exalted or explained away. — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Apr. 2026

The famed African American journalist investigated lynchings across the South and wrote about the savage incidents that the white press had already explained away. — Case Thorp, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2026

Endometriosis has long been stigmatized and patient pain often explained away through other diagnoses, with the average diagnostic delay for endometriosis lasting four to 11 years. — O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 26 Mar. 2026

Now, could it be maybe explained away? — Lauren A. White, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2026

One downside of Oza’s model, Kipping notes, is that any fluctuations in the levels of sulfur dioxide, sodium and potassium observed on WASP-39b can be easily explained away as variability in eruptions. — Nola Taylor Tillman, Scientific American, 13 Oct. 2025

Maybe the nuns could be transformed into spa therapists at a wellness retreat and the toxin explained away as a surfeit of matcha. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025