as in to excuse
to talk about or describe (something) in a way that makes it seem more pleasant or acceptable than it is
textbooks that sugarcoat history She has very strong opinions, and she doesn't try to sugarcoat them.
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Recent Examples of sugarcoat
Teachers intuited the connection between struggles and progress in families, and within history, and felt that the teaching of a complex history, one that did not sugarcoat the struggles, would build a more resilient classroom, community, and country.
—
Annie Polland, Time, 25 Sep. 2025
Your gut instincts are way sharper than your ideals, so don’t sugarcoat your feelings.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025
There’s no way to sugarcoat this.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2025
That has to improve, and there is no sugarcoating it.
—Chad Graff, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sugarcoat
Annie Polland, Time, 25 Sep. 2025
Your gut instincts are way sharper than your ideals, so don’t sugarcoat your feelings.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025
There’s no way to sugarcoat this.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2025
That has to improve, and there is no sugarcoating it.
—Chad Graff, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sugarcoat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sugarcoat
Verb
-
Their cry is not against the faith itself but against distorted theology that excuses cruelty.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
-
After Politico reported that Young Republicans expressed outrageously racist, misogynistic and anti-Semitic sentiments, Vice President JD Vance excused it as just the edgy chat of young activists.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But Ruff was clear that the injury situation doesn’t explain away what the Sabres looked like in the first three games.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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One downside of Oza’s model, Kipping notes, is that any fluctuations in the levels of sulfur dioxide, sodium and potassium observed on WASP-39b can be easily explained away as variability in eruptions.—
Nola Taylor Tillman,
Scientific American,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This propensity for mental acrobatics, alongside his immense arrogance, was how Epstein rationalized his crimes to himself.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
25 Oct. 2025
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Even if annual fees on premium credit cards continue to balloon and airlines continue to raise the threshold for elite status, both industries are wagering that travelers will rationalize those costs if the lounge experience is exclusive enough.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The midfield area certainly functioned better against Frankfurt, with Curtis Jones more than justifying his inclusion.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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This isn’t to justify those prior murders.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In March 2025, Chelsea gave PEOPLE an exclusive update on Max's health journey, explaining that their son has had to relearn basic functions and attend physical therapy.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
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The canal connected increasingly specialized regions in the early US, explains historian Roger Ransom.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As America attempts to reclaim its pride by whitewashing its unflattering histories, Springsteen’s struggle to balance light and dark on these pointedly American recordings is tremendously poignant.—
Will Hermes,
Rolling Stone,
19 Oct. 2025
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Mayorga combined the rhythms of the San Juanito - traditional Andean music - with rural Colombian cumbia, which arrived in Ecuador via the record industry, already processed and whitewashed.—
NPR,
NPR,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sugarcoat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sugarcoat. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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