1
as in to explain
to give the reason for or cause of
after the surprise attack, military leaders struggled to explain away the nation's unpreparedness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to excuse
to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses
tried to explain away his adulterous affairs by saying that men are promiscuous by nature
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 explain away
These digital artifacts create a detailed record of human activity and movement that’s difficult to falsify or explain away.
—
Lars Daniel, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
But poor casting was only half of it — Charles Walters' 1955 adaptation unfortunately reimagines the heroine as an irascible antisocial brat with delusions of grandeur, all explained away by bizarre contemporary psychoanalysis provided in voice-over.
—EW.com, 4 Mar. 2025
To make matters worse, meteorologists are increasingly dealing with hostility and threats simply for making forecasts or explaining away wacky conspiracy theories.
—Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
But over time, many have raised their standards and grown more critical, while others have become experts at explaining away silence to secure 30 more minutes of guilt-free listening to a new release from their favorite artist.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for explain away
Lars Daniel, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
But poor casting was only half of it — Charles Walters' 1955 adaptation unfortunately reimagines the heroine as an irascible antisocial brat with delusions of grandeur, all explained away by bizarre contemporary psychoanalysis provided in voice-over.
—EW.com, 4 Mar. 2025
To make matters worse, meteorologists are increasingly dealing with hostility and threats simply for making forecasts or explaining away wacky conspiracy theories.
—Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
But over time, many have raised their standards and grown more critical, while others have become experts at explaining away silence to secure 30 more minutes of guilt-free listening to a new release from their favorite artist.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for explain away
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explain away
Verb
-
The reason for the independence, the Brookings Institution explains, is that politicians tend to want lower interest rates because lower rates stimulate the economy.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
21 Apr. 2025
-
If yes, please explain: Only at the misdemeanor level.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Behaviors once deemed unacceptable are becoming normalized and excused.—
Toby Wong,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
-
The school board then revised its Religious Diversity Guidelines to limit the circumstances when students can be excused to noncurricular activities or free-time events that conflict with their family's religious practices.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
As a result, the court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to either determine whether greenhouse gases from new vehicles contribute to climate change, and therefore endanger human health, or justify its refusal to study the issue.—
Hannah Wiseman,
The Conversation,
18 Apr. 2025
-
There are also questions about his logic justifying the policy.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Explain away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explain%20away. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share