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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Travolta never asks the audience to excuse Tony’s uglier qualities.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
28 May 2026 -
Casey Schmitt can be excused for failing to catch Ketel Marte’s fifth-inning fly ball during the Giants’ 6-2 loss Monday.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
26 May 2026
Verb
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The screaming headlines followed by the official oops that came in the wake of the announcement of the 1996 Mars rock is something scientists are justified in wanting to keep off their resumes.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
1 June 2026
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Perhaps the Thunder would see the upside of a SGA-Giannis-J-Dub core as justifying the risk of cutting down their depth to that extent.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Any new-to-the-stage songwriter may need time to acclimate to a new mode, and this particular case may be explained by the fact that Mann, according to reporting, is no longer actively involved in the show’s development.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
5 June 2026
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This adaptation explains why the hourlong train ride to work can start out as exhausting, but become part of your daily routine.—
Christian B. Miller,
The Conversation,
4 June 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 7 Jun. 2026.
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