sugarcoat

verb

Definition of sugarcoatnext
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.

Related Words

Relevance

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 sugarcoat Her refusal to sugarcoat the interior and exterior lives of her characters, whether enslaved or traumatized by the past — by events in American history — was purposeful. — Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026 There's no reason to sugarcoat it. — Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026 There’s no reason to sugarcoat that. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 1 June 2026 There is no sugarcoating the reality. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 31 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for sugarcoat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sugarcoat
  1. explain
  2. justify
  3. excuse
  4. whitewash
  5. rationalize
  6. explain away
Verb
  • An elephantine star becoming a black hole doesn’t explain it either.
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Maybe this explains why Effective Altruism—the idea that generosity should be subjected to evidence and calculation—seemed counterintuitive.
    — David Miliband, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of explain
Verb
  • The targeting of civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, particularly airports, illustrates the retaliatory logic the Houthis have invoked to justify their actions.
    — Laurent Bonnefoy, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
  • There is always a new spectacle, a new gimmick to lure people into a theater and justify the cost of a ticket.
    — Sam Fleischner, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of justify
Verb
  • And while the challenges of the job don’t excuse the criminal actions, researchers and legal experts said, those experiences can often contribute to their behavioral issues.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Every so often, Singh would excuse himself to the bathroom and jot down Pattinson’s ideas.
    — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of excuse
Verb
  • Boutique brand Katikies has brought the success of its sister hotel in Oia, Santorini, to Mykonos, with a spacious, whitewashed sanctuary on the island’s southwest coast.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • To freshmen from then to now, whitewashing the rock(s) before the season has tended to create a sense of belonging and ownership.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of whitewash
Verb
  • But acting on behalf of Iran, a non-Arab Persian country composed almost entirely of Twelver Shia Muslims, was considerably more difficult to rationalize in Arab Yemen where Twelver Shia Muslims are absent and Sunnis are the majority.
    — Laurent Bonnefoy, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Ahmed doesn’t merely document the decisions that led President Biden and his aides to arm and rationalize what leading human rights organizations and legal scholars now consider a genocide.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of rationalize
Verb
  • In an effort to explain away his decision, Kiffin reintroduced old ghosts.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The conversation kicked off with a discussion of faith and the rush to scientifically explain away events that may be divinely touched.
    — Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of explain away

Browse Nearby Words

suffusing
sugarcoat
sugarcoated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sugarcoat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sugarcoat. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All