excuse 1 of 2

noun

ik-ˈskyüs How to pronounce excuse (audio)
Definition of excusenext
as in justification
an explanation that frees one from fault or blame "a really important business call" is no excuse for not paying proper attention to one's driving

Synonyms & Similar Words

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excuse

2 of 2

verb

ik-ˈskyüz How to pronounce excuse (audio)
1
as in to ignore
to dismiss as of little importance more often than not, voters are willing to excuse a candidate's youthful indiscretion

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to justify
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
3
as in to explain
to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses he's always excusing his chronic lying by claiming that everybody lies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun excuse contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of excuse are alibi, apologia, apology, plea, and pretext. While all these words mean "matter offered in explanation or defense," excuse implies an intent to avoid or remove blame or censure.

used illness as an excuse for missing the meeting

When could alibi be used to replace excuse?

The meanings of alibi and excuse largely overlap; however, alibi implies a desire to shift blame or evade punishment and imputes mere plausibility to the explanation.

his alibi failed to stand scrutiny

When might apologia be a better fit than excuse?

While the synonyms apologia and excuse are close in meaning, apologia implies not admission of guilt or regret but a desire to make clear the grounds for some course, belief, or position.

his speech was an apologia for his foreign policy

When can apology be used instead of excuse?

Although the words apology and excuse have much in common, apology usually applies to an expression of regret for a mistake or wrong with implied admission of guilt or fault and with or without reference to mitigating or extenuating circumstances.

said by way of apology that he would have met them if he could

When would plea be a good substitute for excuse?

While in some cases nearly identical to excuse, plea stresses argument or appeal for understanding or sympathy or mercy.

her usual plea that she was nearsighted

Where would pretext be a reasonable alternative to excuse?

The words pretext and excuse are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, pretext suggests subterfuge and the offering of false reasons or motives in excuse or explanation.

used any pretext to get out of work

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 excuse
Noun
Then, when Brown University argued in court that women were simply less interested in sports than men, both district and appeals courts rejected this common excuse. —Lindsey Darvin, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025 So, being on the second night of a back-to-back was no excuse. —Josh Robbins, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
Microsoft 365 users, however, could certainly be excused for feeling hard done by in the attack stakes with hackers exploiting technical gaps to manipulate URLs, or basic authentication exploitation by spray and pray password campaigns. —Davey Winder, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025 None of which excuses a failure to search such sagas for good ideas that might be repurposed today. —Bill Fischer, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for excuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excuse
  1. justification
  2. ignore
  3. justify
  4. explain
  5. reason
  6. forgive
  7. overlook
  8. pardon
Noun
  • Is there any justification for Morgan Wallen having 37 tracks on his new album?
    — Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 3 Apr. 2025
  • In today’s newsletter, our immigration reporter Jonathan Blitzer investigates these deportations—and the questionable justification behind them.
    — Ian Crouch, New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2025
Definition of justification
Verb
  • Though last Friday’s March jobs release was better than expected, with an increase in 228,000 jobs according to the nonfarm payroll report, it was widely ignored as old news due to the tariff implementation.
    — Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
  • Get best-in-class reporting that's too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year.
    — Brenda Stolyar, Wired News, 6 Apr. 2025
Definition of ignore
Verb
  • Officials were pressed to justify the action on Sunday morning news shows, where again the confused messaging was apparent.
    — Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2025
  • The law was originally justified as helping to ensure worker safety on the job, prior to the establishment of federal and state labor protections.
    — John Faso, New York Daily News, 7 Apr. 2025
Definition of justify
Verb
  • This is something Jordan has previously pointed out, explaining that teens can simply sign up for platforms with a false birthdate.
    — Anna Halkidis, Parents, 8 Apr. 2025
  • If Bayern were not pursuing him, that would probably be harder to explain.
    — Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Definition of explain
Noun
  • The military has a nonpartisan tradition for a reason.
    — Risa Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2025
  • For that reason, testing in the privacy of one’s home can be an appealing option — and may help expand screening, Dr. Burstein said.
    — Catherine Pearson, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Definition of reason
Verb
  • Fans have not forgiven him for trading a global superstar in the prime of his career.
    — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025
  • This is one of the situations where even the most fervent ‘anti-muted celebration’ crowd could forgive a player for toning things down a bit.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Definition of forgive
Verb
  • The mission began in fairly standard form: The SEALs infiltrated a bleak and dusty corner of Ramadi that happened to overlook a marketplace and, unbeknownst to them, also sat across from the lair of the Iraqi insurgents.
    — Fred Schruers, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2025
  • This approach allows organizations to cultivate lifelong relationships with new supporters for whom standard fundraising strategies may have previously overlooked. 7.
    — Larry Bomback, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Definition of overlook
Verb
  • They among others called for Biden to pardon Panton, which never came to fruition.
    — Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Hunter later pleaded guilty but was pardoned by President Donald Trump.
    — Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2025
Definition of pardon

Browse Nearby Words

excusably
excuse
excused
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Excuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excuse. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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