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
-
Some readers refuse to join one, stubbornly persisting in flipping to one section and ignoring the rest.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026 -
Hustle culture praised women for ignoring their instincts in the name of productivity.—
Kelly Ehlers,
Rolling Stone,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
But there’s no excusing Josh Allen’s four turnovers.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Japan romantics may be overlooking some clear drawbacks, however, including the 30 years of economic struggles that followed the bursting of a truly epic bubble in the 1990s.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The centerpiece of the 13-acre-plus parkland is a curved bridge overlooking a savanna, allowing elephants to walk under guests.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Perardi emailed a photo explaining that it had been given to him as collateral.—
Matthew Bremner,
Rolling Stone,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Several board members cited the legal outcome in explaining their votes against Ben Gamla.—
Grace Gilson,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The standings aren’t forgiving.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Point is, this recipe is forgiving.—
Leah Donnella,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The software simulates wind passing over the avatar, computational fluid dynamics calculate how much resistance there is — and how tweaking a skater’s form alters that.—
Howard Fendrich,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Alarmists will often focus on the negative while passing over potential positive outcomes.—
Jeff Mayhugh,
Washington Post,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Justice Department has not yet released a formal explanation justifying its redaction decisions.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
10 Feb. 2026
-
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
-
Such stretches have previously been eliminated by the NBA, with the exception of extenuating circumstances.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Executive producer and star of the film, Danielle Brooks, stuns with her performance as a mother trying to juggle it all and offers an honest portrayal of what happens when extenuating circumstances prevent closeness and warmth within a household.—
Dominique Fluker,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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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 12 Feb. 2026.
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