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.
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of sugarcoat
There is no sugarcoating the depth of disagreement between public health and MAHA over some life-and-death interventions such as vaccines.
—
Tom W. Johnson, STAT, 26 Jan. 2026
Despite their clear affection for these women, the Dardenne brothers never sugarcoat their characters’ unenviable circumstance or latch onto phony bromides to alleviate our anxiety.
—Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
Marie, who always considered herself an athletic person growing up, does not sugarcoat the physical demands of her profession.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
In these allegories of dehumanization, greed, and hope, Marshall takes an unvarnished view of his subjects, one that doesn’t sugarcoat the past or succumb to nostalgia for a mythical, precolonial Golden Age.
—James Meyer, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sugarcoat
Tom W. Johnson, STAT, 26 Jan. 2026
Despite their clear affection for these women, the Dardenne brothers never sugarcoat their characters’ unenviable circumstance or latch onto phony bromides to alleviate our anxiety.
—Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
Marie, who always considered herself an athletic person growing up, does not sugarcoat the physical demands of her profession.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
In these allegories of dehumanization, greed, and hope, Marshall takes an unvarnished view of his subjects, one that doesn’t sugarcoat the past or succumb to nostalgia for a mythical, precolonial Golden Age.
—James Meyer, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sugarcoat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sugarcoat
Verb
-
For Barbara, impending death does not inspire a moral awakening, and Rosenberg never gives the reader an origin story that would excuse her cruelty.—
Isle McElroy,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Please excuse the pun, but the One Battle After Another star looks like a literal cascading waterfall at the Oscars 2026.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Despite the show's efforts to explain away a TARDIS's functionality with black holes and the Time Vortex, its abilities are best regarded as magic.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Former New York Jets linebacker Darron Lee asked ChatGPT for help explaining away his girlfriend’s fatal injuries a day before she was found dead in their Tennessee home, prosecutors said Monday.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
While rationalizing deception is easy to do, developing the virtue of truthfulness is not.—
Katherine Moses,
The Conversation,
13 Mar. 2026
-
But as another voter rationalizes, the sheer size of the ballot will do more harm than good in the long run.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
While discussing current events, and specifically the military conflict with Iran, Reid said that Iranians were justified in disliking the United States due to the 1953 coup in which Iran’s Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh was overthrown, an effort that Great Britain and the United States aided.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Mar. 2026
-
All this fuels engagement algorithms that the platforms use to justify their advertising rates and their stock prices.—
Kathy Kristof,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Naturally, Farke was not about to reveal his hand in a press conference, but explained what will go through his mind ahead of Saturday evening.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
-
And her book goes a long way in explaining why.—
Alexander Kaplan,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
So what food crimes were these celebs whitewashing with their presence at Live Más Live?—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Once a sky-blue democracy is restored, may Trump’s days of infamy be ruled illegitimate and his name and legacy duly tainted by all of history, darkly blackened or cautiously reddened in the honest records that this twerp and his twisted cohorts have conspired so heinously to whitewash.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sugarcoat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sugarcoat. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
