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 Morgan didn’t sugarcoat the harder parts either. — Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 10 May 2026 There is no sugarcoating the reality. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 31 May 2026 Then, sugarcoating was the reflexive response. — Susan Page, USA Today, 29 May 2026 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 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
  • Carpino retired in April, without ever explaining what was not right in the organization or, based on the standings, repairing it.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • Davies explains that Provenance adds value, as does good condition, because textiles are particularly unforgiving and easy to damage.
    — Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 July 2026
Definition of explain
Verb
  • Wall Street is increasingly punishing Big Tech companies for spending on AI without profits to justify it.
    — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 1 July 2026
  • Thus far, Meta was only monetizing AI through its advertising, which is a great business but can be cyclical and was not enough to justify using all its cash flow.
    — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 1 July 2026
Definition of justify
Verb
  • Demings uses the go-to excuse that state legislation bans using the TDT on local projects.
    — Mike Thomas, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 June 2026
  • She’s been canceled, kidnapped, and bamboozled, happy to tell anyone who’ll listen, and who’ll excuse her typos.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2026
Definition of excuse
Verb
  • And as much as people wanna whitewash it, that’s part of the history too.
    — Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
  • Burns, who is Black, also pushed back on criticisms that the state’s new Black history curriculum whitewashes the history of slavery and oppression in America.
    — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026
Definition of whitewash
Verb
  • His larger diagnosis is that the division machine has made every disagreement existential — and that once a political difference becomes sacred, people will rationalize almost anything to defeat the other side.
    — Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • These activists have rationalized Hamas’ terrorist attacks and embraced outright antisemitism.
    — Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 29 June 2026
Definition of rationalize
Verb
  • These subtle shifts are easy to explain away and even easier to ignore.
    — Tatiana Dias, Vogue, 30 June 2026
  • However, in the months after giving birth to her daughter, Cust began noticing symptoms that felt unusual, but easy to explain away as postpartum exhaustion.
    — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 30 May 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 8 Jul. 2026.

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