1
as in to excuse
to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses
I don't want to gloss over her misbehavior, but keep in mind that she's been under a lot of stress lately
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to ignore
to dismiss as of little importance
this biographer tends to gloss over his subject's many character flaws
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gloss (over)
Verb
-
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers excused Musk from the witness stand Thursday, but he may be called back later.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026 -
Esposito worries about a growing illusion that efficiency tools can excuse leaders from the hard, intimate work of sitting with another human being to face some difficult problem.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The federal judge in that case ruled that a jury could find that State Farm had acted in bad faith if the plaintiffs' lawyers demonstrated that the company ignored certain kinds of hail damage.—
Michael Copley,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
-
In crush, puncture, and saw tests, the battery produced no smoke or flames – a safety profile that's hard to ignore.—
Omar Kardoudi
April 28,
New Atlas,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
So far, that skepticism has appeared justified.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
This seeming deference to executive interests is particularly difficult to justify in an administration willing to flout court orders.—
Gregg Nunziata,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
From the outside, the enormous former glove factory still resembles a warehouse, and from the store’s towering façade alone, first timers would be forgiven for thinking there’s no way the entire interior could be filled with books.—
Kat Chen,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Apr. 2026
-
In the Catholic tradition, a bad action doesn’t make someone a bad person; good people can sin and be forgiven.—
Elias Wachtel,
The Atlantic,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Besides the driver, an amiable man who was happy to explain how the shredder worked, only a few nervous schoolchildren stood around, supervised by a woman with a badge that identified her as an envoy of the library.—
Mary Norris,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
-
The bulletin examined nutrition in common foods (especially meat, bread, and milk), explained how the body uses food as fuel, outlined dietary standards, and considered the economy of food, food waste, and connections between food and health.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
It shouldn’t be overlooked that the Spurs were able to win a playoff game on the road without their franchise cornerstone.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
During the journey, visitors can stop at 12 different points of interest and overlooks that showcase the area’s diverse scenery.—
Taryn White,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And yet the media finds a way to conveniently explain away violence.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Production is either exalted or explained away.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Gloss (over).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gloss%20%28over%29. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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