as in excused
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 extenuated
Verb
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Their case is due back in court on June 16 for a pretrial conference, but the three troopers are able to be excused from appearing in person.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026 -
Woods has always had a complicated reputation, but he’s also widely considered one of the best golfers ever, which means a lot of his problematic behavior has been excused because of his talent and his friendship with the US President.—
StyleCaster Editors,
StyleCaster,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This view of the presidency has justified his executive orders at home and tariffs that affect the global economy.—
Steven Sloan,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
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The opioid crisis alone justified a generation of skepticism.—
Vikas Patel,
STAT,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As data center loans increase, insurers who protect lenders if a borrower doesn’t pay, are starting to hit limits, Wolfson explained.—
April Roach,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2026
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Take Tyler Long and Hannah Long, a married couple from Franklinton, who as the train cut through pine trees explained their interest in visiting all the old racetracks — from Martinsville to Bristol to North Wilkesboro to, yes, Rockingham.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The island’s whitewashed, clifftop village offers romantic views of the Aegean Sea, and a steep, zig-zagging path climbs up the hillside to a church.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
23 Mar. 2026
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Sterilized, whitewashed, controlled, censored – all those words apply.—
Jim Axelrod,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Extenuated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extenuated. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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