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
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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
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Recent Examples of explained away
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
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explained away
Verb
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Brooks explained the white and brown pup was rescued from a cruelty case in South Carolina.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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The effects of the RBI's outsized rate cut of 50 basis points in June have yet to filter through the economy, explained Malhotra, adding that the decision to hold rates steady was unanimous.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Plumlee, who had been excused from Monday’s media day activities for personal reasons, has continued to be absent from practice this week and hasn’t spoken about his second tour of duty with Charlotte yet.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Oct. 2025
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The lady seated between him and me began feeling sick and excused herself, and the table closed up.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Just a kid… but the hype feels justified.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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Friday’s strike came a day after the administration justified its previous strikes in a memo to lawmakers, some of whom have expressed concerns about an overreach of executive power.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Explained away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explained%20away. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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