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.
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Recent Examples of sugarcoat
There is no way to sugarcoat the awfulness of those months of anxiety.
—
Kate Callen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for sugarcoat
Kate Callen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for sugarcoat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sugarcoat
Verb
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And historians can talk about the Versailles treaty causing resentment in Germany, which led to the rise of Nazism in World War II, and that’s fine; that’s not excusing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
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No grievance, no workplace conflict, no personal resentment ever excuses violence.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That bone-deep exhaustion during perimenopause is easy to explain away.—
Allison Palmer,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
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At the time, the signs felt easy to explain away.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Of those seven losses, setbacks against Dallas and Chicago (while both were still trying to win) and Milwaukee could at least be rationalized.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
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At the same time, the government hasn’t offered a steady enough flow of contracts to rationalize scaling for some of these businesses.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Policies were justified not with reference to morality or metaphysics but with citations of white papers.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Conflicts abroad, such as in Iran, that may disrupt domestic oil resources could also be used as an argument to justify the need to drill, Sivas said.—
Sierra Lopez,
Mercury News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Using a synesthetic logic all his own, Torres explains why Dwayne (the Rock) Johnson is orange, Catholicism is purple, and navy blue is the nefarious color that secretly runs the world.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
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For an overview of small business tax responsibilities, see IRS Publication 583, which explains general filing and recordkeeping requirements.—
Nancy Ashburn,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Our museums are being told to whitewash American history of any unpleasant or inconvenient facts, like the full history of the brutality of slavery.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
1 Apr. 2026
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The island’s whitewashed, clifftop village offers romantic views of the Aegean Sea, and a steep, zig-zagging path climbs up the hillside to a church.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sugarcoat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sugarcoat. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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