Synonyms of explain away

explain away

verb

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

• explain
• account (for)
• justify
• rationalize
• attribute
• forgive
• excuse
• condone
• absolve
• vindicate
• exonerate
• acquit
• exculpate

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

• explain
• excuse
• justify
• gloss (over)
• account (for)
• whitewash
• palliate
• gloze (over)
• confess
• deodorize
• extenuate
• play down
• minimize
• apologize
• alleviate
• varnish
• atone
• rationalize
• mitigate
• moderate
• lighten
• soften
• temper
• sugarcoat
• vindicate
• lessen
• ease
• absolve
• exonerate
• acquit
• exculpate
• soft-pedal
• clear

Examples of explain away in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Prosecutors also said the children had been in and out of the hospital for various reasons, including bruising, bleach burns and possible internal bleeding − symptoms that were all explained away by their adoptive parents. —Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 27 June 2024

Ten Hag is running out of excuses to explain away his team’s failures. —Graham Ruthven, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2024

Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb attempted to explain away Seattle’s struggles running the ball against New England. —Vincent Frank, Forbes, 21 Sep. 2024

This all ties into the camp factor, which could also be used to explain away hacky details like Samantha’s cat as a stand-in for her spinsterhood. —Katie Rife, IndieWire, 12 Sep. 2024