extenuation

noun

Definition of extenuationnext
as in confession

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of extenuation Not surprisingly, fellow-travelers on the left criticized Conquest either from a wish to disbelieve the Soviet horrors or from an ideological sympathy that compelled extenuation of them. — Peter J. Travers, National Review, 29 Mar. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extenuation
  1. confession
  2. acknowledgment
  3. atonement
  4. vindication
  5. out
  6. rationale
  7. rationalization
  8. justification
Noun
  • This week's quiz spotlights Hollywood confessions and surprising family connections.
    — Danielle Minnetian, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Her confessions look like maternal desperation rather than the truth.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of confession
Noun
  • The White House accord is an important acknowledgment that biosecurity belongs at the center of the AI safety conversation.
    — Raj Panjabi, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Donut did not answer two queries sent to its press-contact email address; a second query sent to a PR firm Donut seems to have hired more recently did get an acknowledgment, but not any answers.
    — Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of acknowledgment
Noun
  • The person receives the opportunity for atonement; the consequence is assigned elsewhere.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The holiday, starting Friday night, marks the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days, leading up to Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement.
    — Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of atonement
Noun
  • Staring down an assembly of the outraged, Digger spells out the ruthless logic of global capitalism and claims the world’s fuel dependency as the ultimate vindication.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Choi, a field engineer who has since returned to the same Georgia plant, said the claim is about vindication.
    — Hanna Park, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of vindication
Noun
  • Disappointingly, her screenplay proceeds to unfold in a procession of frustrating get-outs and compromises, repeatedly choosing the least interesting or challenging direction to take this would-be throuple.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • In the last two games combined, at Tennessee and against Oklahoma, the Texas offense has 13 three-and-outs.
    — Mac Engel October 10, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of out
Noun
  • So instead of making teams whole each time, the NFL now just pays teams’ travel expenses for their international game under the rationale that every team will lose a home game—and, in turn, home game ticket revenue—during that time.
    — Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • It's regarded as wildly unethical and cruel, so the rationale for Netflix turning it into a TV show, where 30 people enter a real prison for two weeks, is hard to justify.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of rationale
Noun
  • The combined company’s streaming business, however, will be much bigger, with Paramount+, Pluto, HBO Max and Discovery+ all set to come under one roof, with rationalization likely.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Although the government later claimed national security concerns, attorneys for the outlets said that was a post-ban rationalization, violating their due process rights.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of rationalization
Noun
  • Such well-being is appealed to only as a smokescreen for the argument's true purpose, the justification of the administration's policies toward immigrants.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In doing so, defending their life felt like something akin to murder, despite her justification.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of justification

Browse Nearby Words

extenuating
extenuation
extenuations
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Cite this Entry

“Extenuation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extenuation. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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