1
as in explaining
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 glossing (over)
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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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explaining away
Verb
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May acted as his own attorney at a hearing that included prosecutors showing charts explaining in stark, factual ways what was on each video May is charged with distributing.—
Jeffrey Collins,
Twin Cities,
26 Sep. 2025 -
But mostly the veteran producer spent his wide-ranging conversation with Variety‘s Clayton Davis explaining the job that is often hard to define — the role of a producer — and discussing the state of the film business.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Celebrating or excusing violence is abhorrent.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Sep. 2025
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Procedures for excusing or deferring jury duty differs by county, according to the state’s judicial website.—
Tanasia Kenney,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Fundamentals Relative to peers, FTNT trades at a modest premium on forward P/E multiples, but its profitability metrics far exceed industry averages, justifying upside potential.—
Tony Zhang,
CNBC,
24 Sep. 2025
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Avoid debating or justifying your actions repeatedly.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Explaining away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explaining%20away. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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