as in to excuse
to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses
don't even try to extenuate their vandalism of the cemetery with the old refrain of "Boys will be boys"
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extenuate
Verb
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As the couple continued to pepper Harry with questions, Caroline excused herself to get another seltzer.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Apr. 2026 -
Continue reading … MEDIA HALL PASS — Nashville public school excuses Muslim students for daily prayer time during Ramadan.—
,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Our expert take The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a standout premium credit card with plenty of luxury perks and statement credits to justify its annual fee.—
Jason Stauffer,
CNBC,
13 Apr. 2026
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For the Fed to cut, adding more liquidity to the economy while prices are already elevated would be highly unusual—but might be justified if another element of the Fed’s mandate demanded it.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Mariam explained that she’d been admitted to Bronx Science through a program called Discovery, for students from disadvantaged backgrounds whose test scores fell just below the school’s cutoff line.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
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Could the seizures explain Al-Hashimi’s moments of forgetfulness that Robby has been curious about during his shift?—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Radiation can also be used to palliate painful bone metastases, as well as chemotherapy.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Flow Space,
1 Oct. 2024
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Senior-home avatars who are designed to palliate dementia patients in their darkest days.—
Longreads,
Longreads,
12 Apr. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Extenuate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extenuate. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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