Synonyms of whitewash

whitewash 1 of 2

verb

ˈ(h)wīt-ˌwȯsh 

1

as in to ignore

to dismiss as of little importance

refused to whitewash the governor's chronic disregard for the truth

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ignore
• forgive
• overlook
• justify
• excuse
• explain
• pardon
• disregard
• condone
• pass over
• remit
• discount
• forgive and forget
• paper over
• brush (aside or off)
• gloss (over)
• shrug off
• blink (at)
• overpass
• wink (at)
• rationalize
• exonerate
• exculpate
• vindicate
• gloze (over)
• absolve
• acquit
• close one's eyes to
• waive
• wave (aside or off)
• clear

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• mark
• note
• object (to)
• mind
• heed

2

as in to excuse

to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses

don't try to whitewash your rudeness by claiming that you were having a bad day

Synonyms & Similar Words

• excuse
• justify
• explain
• palliate
• extenuate
• gloss (over)
• explain away
• deodorize
• varnish
• minimize
• atone
• sugarcoat
• confess
• rationalize
• apologize
• gloze (over)
• exonerate
• mitigate
• soften
• exculpate
• account (for)
• lighten
• soft-pedal
• vindicate
• alleviate
• temper
• absolve
• moderate
• play down
• acquit
• lessen
• ease
• clear

whitewash

2 of 2

noun

1

as in vindication

Related Words

• vindication
• rationalization
• rationale
• excuse
• pretext
• justification
• apology
• alibi
• defense
• color
• pretense
• guise
• plea
• out
• atonement
• cop-out
• confession
• acknowledgment
• reason
• extenuation
• palliation

2

as in washout

Related Words

• washout
• setback
• fiasco
• lurch
• collapse
• debacle
• shutout
• flop
• upset
• failure
• defeat
• plastering
• overthrow
• whipping
• trimming
• rout
• beating
• drubbing
• fizzle
• licking
• nonsuccess
• shellacking
• trouncing
• loss
• lump

Dissimilar Words

• victory
• success
• triumph
• win
• achievement
• sweep
• accomplishment
• landslide
• blowout
• runaway
• romp
• walkover
• cakewalk
• walkaway

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of whitewash

Verb

Critics have warned that the new panels replacing the ones exhibited since 2010 whitewash the history of slavery. — Corey Williams, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026

Sant Pol de Mar swaps crowded stretches of sand for quieter coves, whitewashed buildings and a noticeably calmer atmosphere than Barcelona. — Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026

Noun

The selection may help the ruling coalition to quiet fears that Ramaphosa’s African National Congress party would install a loyalist to oversee a whitewash. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 3 June 2026

London is the capital of pristine facades, often painted in wedding-cake shades of cream or ivory; the city’s dominant aesthetic is a literal whitewash. — Mark O’Connell, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026