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.

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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 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
  • For next year’s admissions, institutions would have to publish more detailed selection criteria and explain rejections when applicants request reasons.
    — Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Chatbots can also explain complex topics in new ways and condense an overwhelming amount of information into a simple summary.
    — Robin Brewer, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of explain
Verb
  • Between those grounds and the pool, there's enough here to justify leaving part of the day unscheduled.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
  • In this case, the AI agent carried over an earlier instruction not to send any Slack messages to OpenAI’s team, using that to justify turning off the alerts.
    — Emma Roth, The Verge, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of justify
Verb
  • Or targeted other relatives to be hosts, with the precedent of your sister-in-law’s apparently being excused entirely on those grounds.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Look, saying a team should have played better doesn't excuse a questionable call that helps decide the game.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 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
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Cite this Entry

“Sugarcoat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sugarcoat. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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