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
  • Jolly countered that Donalds is ignoring pressing economic issues.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Driving fatigue is very real, thanks to so many Mad Maxes riding bumpers or blowing through red lights or completely ignoring the speed limit.
    — Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 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
  • Many organizations devote enormous effort to identifying the right successor while overlooking the institution that successor will inherit.
    — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The setting is a significant part of the appeal; after exploring the galleries, visitors can wander through the landscaped gardens or sit overlooking the Bosphorus.
    — CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of overlooking
Verb
  • Their background needs explaining, and there is less internal precedent for what success looks like.
    — Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Creighton jokes, explaining that making the film accessible to people is far more interesting to her than some sort of contrived celebrity impact campaign.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of explaining
Verb
  • Hydrogen systems are not forgiving when oxygen is present in the wrong place.
    — Gregory Shahnovsky, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • So when a series of health problems, including a severe case of sepsis, nearly killed him earlier this year, the discourse wasn’t forgiving.
    — Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of forgiving
Verb
  • Some hailed McDonnell as an Anna Delvey-type scammer, justifying her brazen ripoff of faceless lenders by scoffing at the idea that society should feel sympathy for giant corporate entities.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is the most capable smartwatch in Samsung's lineup, justifying its premium price with massive upgrades in endurance, screen visibility, and ruggedness.
    — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of justifying
Verb
  • On that day, a total solar eclipse will sweep across the Northern Hemisphere, traveling from Russia to Spain while passing over parts of Greenland, Iceland and Portugal.
    — Lucie McCormick, Scientific American, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Some residents said the number of planes passing over their homes dropped from more than 20 per day to only a few.
    — Kenny Choi, CBS News, 6 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 14 Aug. 2026.

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