as in excusing
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"
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of extenuating
One extenuating circumstance for brands such as Missoni and Etro, which has also been rumored to be for sale for years, is that the founding families are still invested in those companies and can put the brakes on any sale.
—
Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 11 Nov. 2025
Jacobson Moore is trying to get Daniel’s sentence reduced, citing extenuating circumstances.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
But only one home can qualify at a time, unless there are extenuating circumstances, such as relocating for a new job.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025
But there were extenuating circumstances.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for extenuating
Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 11 Nov. 2025
Jacobson Moore is trying to get Daniel’s sentence reduced, citing extenuating circumstances.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
But only one home can qualify at a time, unless there are extenuating circumstances, such as relocating for a new job.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025
But there were extenuating circumstances.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for extenuating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extenuating
Verb
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There is no excusing his remarks about Childress, whose everyman, never-back-down persona is something with which many fans identify.—
Jordan Bianchi,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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There was also the spat with coach Steve Kerr that resulted in Green excusing himself to the locker room and never returning.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Two skeptics of the COVID vaccine, who were appointed to administration roles just last month, authored a brief assessment justifying the overhaul.—
Grayson Logue,
Washington Post,
9 Jan. 2026
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But the opinion from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel justifying the strikes remains classified.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The dispute was resolved after Singh agreed to provide additional context, explaining that the files were collaborative documents shared among participants through the messaging app Signal.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
10 Jan. 2026
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Scanning them launches video tutorials explaining what each product does — without forcing customers to ask questions in a store.—
Luke Fountain,
CNBC,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Extenuating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extenuating. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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