1
as in ignores
to dismiss as of little importance
refused to whitewash the governor's chronic disregard for the truth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in justifies
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
1
as in rationalizations
Related Words
2
as in washouts
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whitewashes
Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2026
Verb
The biography is presented as a clear-eyed and evenhanded examination of Reid’s complex legacy that neither whitewashes his methods nor diminishes his accomplishments.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whitewashes
Verb
-
That critique also conveniently ignores how much of the existing media landscape was built on government largesse.—
Julian Baron,
Baltimore Sun,
19 Apr. 2026
-
In other words, the life-writer cannot take a doggedly factual approach that ignores a whole layer of emotional and imaginative experience.—
Sara Wheeler,
Big Think,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The bulls claim that trend justifies today’s valuations, and that EPS can keep rolling in double-digits while national income trudges at a nominal 5% or so.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
19 Apr. 2026
-
For those willing to make the trip, the standard of care justifies every mile.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Expectations going up after two straight Playoff washouts.—
Jason Kirk,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
-
In optimal conditions, most vehicles can make it, but high clearance is strongly recommended—especially in winter and after storms, when washouts, flooding, or snow accumulation are possible.—
Taryn Shorr-Mckee,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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There is no blanket federal program that automatically forgives credit card debt simply because someone is a veteran.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Sinnott forgives his parents, and parents today who waver on vaccination.—
Arthur Allen,
Miami Herald,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Justice Department says Bondi’s ouster excuses her from having to appear.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
12 Apr. 2026
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Continue reading … MEDIA HALL PASS — Nashville public school excuses Muslim students for daily prayer time during Ramadan.—
,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Hanson’s home is a quick golf-ride to the clubhouse and overlooks the driving range, as well as the first hole.—
David Caraccio,
Sacbee.com,
11 Apr. 2026
-
But Wiener—and, indeed, self-preferencing’s opponents in general—overlooks basic facts of the digital economy and, to justify his sweeping regulatory proposals, attaches ominous labels to ordinary conduct.—
David B Mcgarry,
Oc Register,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Jeff’s worries, Rogers explains to the camera after seeing his young friend off, are different from the worry that one’s parents might separate.—
Jean Garnett,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
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Saliers further explains that the essential tremor has impacted the way the duo can perform some of their most notable harmonies.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Freed from all the entanglements that come with having to launch a ground invasion, air war can overfly not just morality and law but arguments, rationales, the calibration of risks to rewards and of suffering to satisfaction.—
Fintan O’Toole,
The New York Review of Books,
9 Apr. 2026
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Investors look for reasons to take profits, even though the rationales may have nothing to do with the market action.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Boston Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whitewashes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whitewashes. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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