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
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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
For a long time, these symptoms were dismissed or explained away.
—
CBS News, 19 Nov. 2025
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
CBS News, 19 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explained away
Verb
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In an interview with Interesting Engineering, UEL researcher Daehyun Kim explained that SCARABS focuses on exploration reliability rather than experimental payloads.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
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Night vision goggles worn by the pilot and hoist operator give a tube of vision, explained Atkins.—
Alan Gionet,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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These bills send a clear message that political violence will never be excused, rewarded, or forgotten, and that our democracy is worth defending with action, not just words.—
Norma Torres,
Oc Register,
6 Jan. 2026
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During voir dire, anyone who’s against capital punishment is excused from serving; the law demands that jurors remain amenable to all potential sentences.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Previously, the three men have argued that their actions were justified, citing self-defense and their need to respond to an emergency.—
Megan O’Matz,
ProPublica,
13 Jan. 2026
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Only one of the 13 GOP lawmakers offered a comment in response to questions about whether the ICE officer’s actions were justified.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Explained away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explained%20away. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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