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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For Barbara, impending death does not inspire a moral awakening, and Rosenberg never gives the reader an origin story that would excuse her cruelty.—
Isle McElroy,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026 -
Please excuse the pun, but the One Battle After Another star looks like a literal cascading waterfall at the Oscars 2026.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But manufacturers use unnecessary complication to justify charging you $100,000 for $20,000 worth of car--or $350,000 for $50,000 worth of tractor.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Mar. 2026
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Blending absurdist humor with social critique, the series explores how civility can be weaponized to justify cruelty.—
Lin Ying-Hsuan,
Variety,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Naturally, Farke was not about to reveal his hand in a press conference, but explained what will go through his mind ahead of Saturday evening.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
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And her book goes a long way in explaining why.—
Alexander Kaplan,
The Washington Examiner,
20 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 25 Mar. 2026.
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