1
as in explaining away
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 ignoring
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 glossing (over)
Verb
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Wrapped in a blanked on the sofa, binging reruns of The Oprah Show on YouTube and gleefully ignoring emails all morning is my idea of heaven.—
Jackie Fields,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025 -
On July 4, after Zane confessed to feeling guilty about ignoring more texts from his family members, the chatbot offered to help Zane craft a terse message to them.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Some Republicans and Democrats criticized Vance’s response for excusing or downplaying the nature of the chat messages.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Celebrating or excusing violence is abhorrent.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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With just 13 bedrooms overlooking Bantry Bay, the hotel stands as an intimate ode to art and viticulture.—
Emily Baldwin,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Nov. 2025
-
From his apartment overlooking the Narta Lagoon in Albania’s picturesque south, 72-year-old Jorgaq Subashi can glimpse the land he was awarded in 1993 as part of the government’s attempt to return property.—
Lindita Cela,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The leader of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization that fights antisemitism, is explaining his group's decision to set up a special project to monitor Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City.—
NPR,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
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Ukraine knows about the value of culture as soft power and spends a lot of money explaining to the world what’s going on in their country.—
Annika Pham,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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We were impressed by the spacious interior, which was large enough to easily fit our entire four-day packing list and left ample room for an extra few outfits or souvenirs thanks to the brand’s forgiving free-flex zipper technology.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Nov. 2025
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It was mismanaged for years until recently, when former President Joe Biden reformed it, ultimately forgiving billions of dollars in debt for more than 1 million Americans.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The epicenter of the hurricane is passing over Cuba at the opposite end of the island to the Caribbean country's capital city of Havana, the BBC noted.—
Abigail Adams,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
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Over the next week, Melissa is passing over some warmer than usual waters in the Caribbean, which has not seen a tropical storm or hurricane yet this season.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Judge Ellis found that Bovino wasn’t hit in the head with a rock prior to deploying tear gas despite claims from the Department of Homeland Security justifying the use of force.—
Bill Kirkos,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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While working on the project, costs ballooned unexpectedly—reaching well over six figures—and this doctrine became an important reminder when justifying the expenses.—
Michelle Duncan,
Architectural Digest,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As reported by The Athletic last week, Aston Martin still had to enter an Accepted Breach Agreement (ABA) with the FIA to recognize its late submission which resulted from extenuating circumstances beyond the team’s control.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
28 Oct. 2025
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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
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Cite this Entry
“Glossing (over).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/glossing%20%28over%29. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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