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
  • Renner said Donalds is ignoring base Republican voters in his campaign, especially by refusing to debate him, Collins and conservative activist and investor James Fishback.
    — Gray Rohrer, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
  • Traditional lenders remain hesitant about self-employment income, often ignoring or penalizing applicants whose taxable net returns don't reflect their actual cash flow, despite gig workers diversifying their risk through multiple income streams.
    — Efri Argaman, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of ignoring
Verb
  • 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
  • Part of that is the team’s fault, as Boone and Cashman have spent much of his career staunchly defending and excusing the former first-round pick’s poor play.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 8 July 2026
Definition of excusing
Verb
  • Its expansive balcony overlooking the working waterfront—seagulls swoop by your table over Commercial Street by day—and firepits at night.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 July 2026
  • But Saturday night, the long endeavor culminated in a celebration in a hotel ballroom overlooking one of Asia’s most popular beaches.
    — Drew Kann, AJC.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of overlooking
Verb
  • The first spends the answer explaining that management never provided the necessary materials, no experienced coworker offered assistance and expectations were unrealistic.
    — Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
  • Like with Meta, Microsoft on Wednesday evening needs to do a better job explaining its AI strategy and justifying the massive levels of capex spend.
    — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 26 July 2026
Definition of explaining
Verb
  • Find the less desirable line, however, and the hole remains forgiving enough to leave a straightforward approach and an excellent chance to make par.
    — Jeff Goudy, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • Pull-on trousers made of stretch fabric feel forgiving enough for hours in the air while looking far more refined than leggings.
    — Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 24 July 2026
Definition of forgiving
Verb
  • Like with Meta, Microsoft on Wednesday evening needs to do a better job explaining its AI strategy and justifying the massive levels of capex spend.
    — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 26 July 2026
  • Organizations that approach agentic AI this way build foundational capabilities that span dozens of workflows and shift the ROI conversation from justifying each agent individually to achieving compounding returns across the enterprise.
    — Joe Locandro, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of justifying
Verb
  • With eclipses passing over the country three years in a row, Spain is well on its way to cementing its reputation as a premier astrotourism destination.
    — Catherine Tansey, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 July 2026
  • The center of Super Typhoon Bavi, the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, was passing over Rota, an island of 2,000 people in the Northern Mariana Islands.
    — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 6 July 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 2 Aug. 2026.

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