1
as in explaining
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 glossing (over)
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explaining away
Verb
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Perardi emailed a photo explaining that it had been given to him as collateral.—
Matthew Bremner,
Rolling Stone,
11 Feb. 2026 -
Several board members cited the legal outcome in explaining their votes against Ben Gamla.—
Grace Gilson,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Americans must hold the president to a higher standard and stop excusing him like a misbehaving child from a broken home.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
7 Feb. 2026
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But there’s no excusing Josh Allen’s four turnovers.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Justice Department has not yet released a formal explanation justifying its redaction decisions.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
10 Feb. 2026
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And yet, major Jewish legacy organizations continue to insist that support for Israel requires denying the realities of occupation, justifying violence against Palestinians and rejecting Palestinian self-determination even while affirming the same for Jews.—
Rabbi Jill Jacobs,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Explaining away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explaining%20away. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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