EXPLAINING AWAY Synonyms: 36 Similar Words

explaining away

verb

present participle of explain away

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

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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

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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 explaining away There was no explaining away a mistake like that. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 15 May 2026 Offscreen, some fans accuse Wyle of explaining away or downplaying his fictional character’s cruelty, and of a constellation of other sins, including envy of his fellow actors’ credentials. — Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2026 Former New York Jets linebacker Darron Lee asked ChatGPT for help explaining away his girlfriend’s fatal injuries a day before she was found dead in their Tennessee home, prosecutors said Monday. — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2026 For months, the West Wing has had difficulty explaining away stubbornly high prices but has been able to celebrate the low cost of gas. — Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for explaining away

Verb

The decision was posted on the White House website late in the evening, and the notification noted that the report explaining the decision had been submitted to Congress.

— Will Weissert, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
Kate is once again explaining to Hal something very obvious about his own psyche and routine behavior.

— Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of explaining

Verb

But Lewis said justifying camera movements through human mannerisms and tics also made the drone the episode’s poignant exhale.

— Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026
The frontier lab’s figures are seen as key to understanding underlying demand for cutting-edge AI models, as well as justifying the huge global spending on tech infrastructure.

— Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of justifying

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explaining

explaining away

explains

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“Explaining away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explaining%20away. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of explaining away

verb

Example Sentences

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