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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Recent Examples of extenuating
There are extenuating circumstances.
—
Mike Sando, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Loan officers may also explore why your credit score is low and consider extenuating circumstances.
—David McMillin, CNBC, 4 Dec. 2025
Six months later, Mak, at the time facing murder charges, was released from jail after his lawyer argued there were extenuating circumstances that made the case different from most murder prosecutions.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for extenuating
Mike Sando, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Loan officers may also explore why your credit score is low and consider extenuating circumstances.
—David McMillin, CNBC, 4 Dec. 2025
Six months later, Mak, at the time facing murder charges, was released from jail after his lawyer argued there were extenuating circumstances that made the case different from most murder prosecutions.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for extenuating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extenuating
Verb
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Americans must hold the president to a higher standard and stop excusing him like a misbehaving child from a broken home.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
7 Feb. 2026
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But there’s no excusing Josh Allen’s four turnovers.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Justice Department has not yet released a formal explanation justifying its redaction decisions.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
10 Feb. 2026
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And yet, major Jewish legacy organizations continue to insist that support for Israel requires denying the realities of occupation, justifying violence against Palestinians and rejecting Palestinian self-determination even while affirming the same for Jews.—
Rabbi Jill Jacobs,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Perardi emailed a photo explaining that it had been given to him as collateral.—
Matthew Bremner,
Rolling Stone,
11 Feb. 2026
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Several board members cited the legal outcome in explaining their votes against Ben Gamla.—
Grace Gilson,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Extenuating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extenuating. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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