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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 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 Part of that is the team’s fault, as Boone and Cashman have spent much of his career staunchly defending and excusing the former first-round pick’s poor play. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 8 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 While not excusing his crime, Rogers contends Spencer has changed while on Death Row. — Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 18 June 2026 Without excusing her actions, Harron’s film explores Solanis’ place as a misfit even within the outsider world of the 1960s NYC underground art scene. — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026 No one is excusing Austin Metcalf’s murder. — Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 12 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for excusing

Verb

Renner said Donalds is ignoring base Republican voters in his campaign, especially by refusing to debate him, Collins and conservative activist and investor James Fishback.

— Gray Rohrer, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
Traditional lenders remain hesitant about self-employment income, often ignoring or penalizing applicants whose taxable net returns don't reflect their actual cash flow, despite gig workers diversifying their risk through multiple income streams.

— Efri Argaman, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of ignoring

Verb

Like with Meta, Microsoft on Wednesday evening needs to do a better job explaining its AI strategy and justifying the massive levels of capex spend.

— Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 26 July 2026
Organizations that approach agentic AI this way build foundational capabilities that span dozens of workflows and shift the ROI conversation from justifying each agent individually to achieving compounding returns across the enterprise.

— Joe Locandro, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of justifying

Verb

At its investor day in June, Honeywell Aerospace spent time explaining their strategy to transform their supply chain, including better planning, factory throughput and the embrace of AI tools.

— Zev Fima,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2026
Meanwhile, the city will work on outreach to get vacant properties registered while putting together a guide explaining what the standards are for owners.

— Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of explaining

Verb

Find the less desirable line, however, and the hole remains forgiving enough to leave a straightforward approach and an excellent chance to make par.

— Jeff Goudy, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Pull-on trousers made of stretch fabric feel forgiving enough for hours in the air while looking far more refined than leggings.

— Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 24 July 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

This gracious grand dame has possibly the best possible address in all of Stockholm, overlooking Strökajen Harbor in the city’s Norrmalm district, a short walk from the Royal Palace and the Old Town.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
Tourists take photos at a viewing platform overlooking coffee plantations on June 4, 2026 in Baoshan, Yunnan Province of China.

— Matthew Tan,Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of overlooking

Browse Nearby Words

excuses

excusing

exec

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Excusing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excusing. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of excusing

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on excusing

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

colloquial

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

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

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes