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extenuates

verb

present tense third-person singular of extenuate
as in justifies
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 extenuates
  1. justifies
  2. excuses
  3. explains
Verb
  • Engineering, data, security and compliance may own different controls, but someone must own the operational result and decide whether the evidence justifies further investment.
    — Taras Tymoshchuk, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • For wealth advisors and the product providers, like AQR and Quantinno, the complexity justifies the fees and benefits.
    — Robert Frank, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of justifies
Verb
  • None of that excuses his behavior, but a change of brain function, rather than a change of heart, is something his constituents need to consider.
    — Michael P.H. Stanley, STAT, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Any person who celebrates, encourages, or excuses actions like these is fundamentally wrong.
    — Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of excuses
Verb
  • The discovery explains why attempts in the past to develop hindbrain neurons from ectoderm stem cells failed – those cells had already been locked in as forebrain or midbrain neurons.
    — Mike McRae September 21, New Atlas, 22 Sep. 2026
  • First runner-up was Italian director Paolo Strippoli’s The Spiral, in which a woman’s estranged mother shows up on her doorstep with a sinister story that explains an incident in their past.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of explains
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Extenuates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extenuates. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

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