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
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The film opens just as its predecessor ended, with a handy recap explaining how Ne Zha and his angelic counterpart, Ao Bing, ended up in need of bodily reincarnation.—
Derek Robertson,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025 -
Amorim has been clearer and more consistent in explaining his tactical ideas and vision for the future.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This doesn’t mean excusing harmful behavior.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass said there was no emergency justifying the military.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
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Bob felt that Clark Gilmer was 'justifying the harm' done to trans people in her comments about King.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
1 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 9 Sep. 2025.
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