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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None of this is to excuse Tina Peters’ conduct.—
Doug Friednash,
Denver Post,
6 Mar. 2026 -
Thank the baseball gods for the Colorado Rockies, the Giants’ permanent buffer against being in last place and go-to excuse for why things could be worse.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Instead, Hegseth pointed to threats from other weaponry such as ballistic missiles and drones that justified the operation.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Mar. 2026
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That said, mortgage interest rates may already be low enough to justify taking action now.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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If a concept just doesn’t make sense, try explaining it out loud to a friend.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
6 Mar. 2026
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During the launch event, BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu explained that solving charging anxiety is essential for wider EV adoption.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 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 8 Mar. 2026.
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