EXCUSING Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

excusing

verb

present participle of excuse

as in ignoring

to dismiss as of little importance more often than not, voters are willing to excuse a candidate's youthful indiscretion

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in justifying

to be an acceptable reason for having a female passenger in labor will generally excuse a little disregard for the speed limit

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in explaining

to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses he's always excusing his chronic lying by claiming that everybody lies

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 excusing But the series’ choice to humanize the villain without excusing her actions was intentional, Thornton explains. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026 Advertisement Dialogue does not mean abandoning our values, excusing aggression, or accepting injustice. — Halla Tómasdóttir, Time, 16 Oct. 2026 This story does not suggest that reconciliation requires forgetting the past or excusing harmful choices. — Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026 Unable to picture evil as anything other than devilish, critics accused Arendt of excusing the perpetrators and blaming the victims. — Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026 Not that Miss Manners is excusing those who burst into dinner parties after the roast has been ruined — along with the other guests’ attitudes, most likely — and then blame it on traffic. — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 28 July 2026 The royal mom also asked to see a poem that Ejran wrote, before excusing herself to continue her tour. — Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026 The center also alleges that the APA has put up roadblocks to allowing an official Jewish affinity group to form, while excusing inflammatory language about Zionism from an Arab, Muslim, Middle Eastern and North African affinity group. — Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 22 June 2026 Mixing those up can lead to either punishing good judgment or excusing bad results. — Flavio Maluf, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for excusing

Verb

Cameron Berg, who founded the nonprofit Reciprocal Research to study the potential for AI consciousness, argues that ignoring the question could carry its own dangers.

— Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Oct. 2026
With nearly 70% of listeners now consuming video podcasts, treating an interview as just a microphone chat means ignoring how your audience actually consumes content.

— Victoria Usher, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of ignoring

Verb

The centerpiece of the policy originally was his use of a 1977 law to declare America's longstanding trade deficits a national emergency, justifying double-digit tariffs on almost every country on Earth.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Advocacy groups are fighting to unseal the OLC’s memo justifying the deadly boat strikes in international waters.

— Perry Stein, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of justifying

Verb

The old boy was perfectly reasonable, explaining the difference between federal reimbursement and state reimbursement, and the speed that agencies move on the different levels.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
As this is a Lynch film, explaining the rest of the plot would be a pointless exercise, but expect plentiful violence, stylish surrealism, and a road movie that’ll shock and delight in equal measure.

— Daisy Jones, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of explaining

Verb

The remarkably, borderline unbelievably forgiving Adams became good friends with her ex-husband.

— Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
But after Gouken’s tragic murder — the particulars will eventually be revealed in flashbacks — Ken and Ryu went their separate ways, Ken never forgiving Ryu for failing to save Gouken’s life.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of forgiving

Verb

Other extenuating circumstances beyond Goodman’s control also might be contributing to his reputation within the industry as a subpar defender.

— Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 27 July 2026
But, generally, only one property can be claimed, unless there are extenuating circumstances.

— Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 30 June 2026

Definition of extenuating

Verb

On a slight hill, wooden bench swings hover over the ground, overlooking many of the park’s trails.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 23 Oct. 2026
Tinies Tinies in South Main Village offers a patio and upstairs terrace overlooking downtown Fort Worth.

— Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of overlooking

Browse Nearby Words

excuses

excusing

exec

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Style

“Excusing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excusing. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of excusing

verb

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