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glossing (over)

verb

present participle of gloss (over)
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)
  1. explaining away
  2. ignoring
  3. excusing
  4. overlooking
  5. explaining
  6. forgiving
  7. justifying
  8. passing over
Verb
  • There was no explaining away a mistake like that.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
  • Offscreen, some fans accuse Wyle of explaining away or downplaying his fictional character’s cruelty, and of a constellation of other sins, including envy of his fellow actors’ credentials.
    — Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2026
Definition of explaining away
Verb
  • After years of ignoring how Florida seniors were victimized with the help of these machines, the Florida Legislature finally passed a new crypto ATM law.
    — Mike Ryan, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Keeping humanity at the center of business does not mean ignoring profit.
    — Zev Laine, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of ignoring
Verb
  • Unable to picture evil as anything other than devilish, critics accused Arendt of excusing the perpetrators and blaming the victims.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Not that Miss Manners is excusing those who burst into dinner parties after the roast has been ruined — along with the other guests’ attitudes, most likely — and then blame it on traffic.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 28 July 2026
Definition of excusing
Verb
  • Two of the bedrooms have private bathrooms, with the primary suite opening onto a Juliet balcony overlooking the garden.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Now, the Hurricanes are still heavy favorites — Miami is a three-touchdown favorite, according to FanDuel — UM isn’t overlooking the task ahead.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of overlooking
Verb
  • Here, Theron grew particularly impassioned, explaining that people try to oversimplify the situation.
    — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026
  • After a short speech explaining my work, college students clapped for me.
    — Susan Daria Landino, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of explaining
Verb
  • The scourge of Steve Spurrier Spurrier took too many verbal jabs to list here and took special glee in beating the Dawgs, never forgiving them for beating his Florida Gators in his 1966 senior season, ruining their SEC championship hopes.
    — The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Although these conditions may be difficult to maintain at home, onions are forgiving.
    — Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of forgiving
Verb
  • Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government in Israel is using ancient archaeological heritage as a tool for justifying the seizure of Palestinian land in the West Bank, reports the Financial Times.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Trump had not previously cited national security in justifying the ban.
    — Dan Mangan, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of justifying
Verb
  • The probability of a hurricane passing over any particular point is low, especially farther from the Mexican coast, since most Pacific hurricanes tend to stay closer to Mexico.
    — Nicholas Grondin, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Related Articles The board previously resolved to erect new buildings for the Latino Museum and the American Women’s History Museum, passing over Arts and Industries.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of passing over
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.

Browse Nearby Words

glossing
glossing (over)
gloss (over)
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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 25 Sep. 2026.

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