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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explaining away
Verb
-
Brown shared a statement explaining his absence with CBS Mornings and Today as the remaining members of the cast — Tan France, Jonathan Van Ness, Antoni Porowski, and new design expert Jeremiah Brent — appeared without him.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Jan. 2026 -
While several market observers emphasized the impact of trade war concerns when explaining the latest movements in risk assets, some analysts noted the influence that leverage had on these price fluctuations.—
Charles Lloyd Bovaird II,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But there’s no excusing Josh Allen’s four turnovers.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
-
This isn’t about excusing others for poor behavior.—
Heather V. MacArthur,
Forbes.com,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Husband-chef and wife-farmer duo Kyle and Katina Connaughton are culinary dynamos who create pure magic on every plate served at SingleThread, more than justifying the lengthy waitlist for reservations.—
Kathryn Romeyn,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Jan. 2026
-
In justifying the need for the county’s investment, county Commissioner Andrew Sommerman noted the burden homeless individuals are placing on the jail, Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s buses and trains, and the Parkland Hospital emergency department.—
Tracey McManus,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Jan. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Explaining away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explaining%20away. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
