as in to excuse
to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses
don't even try to extenuate their vandalism of the cemetery with the old refrain of "Boys will be boys"
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extenuate
Verb
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Until Henry momentarily excuses himself from the table, that is, and the person or persons behind these winky-wink messages tell her to poison Henry ASAP or the menacing guy currently hiding in her apartment will kill her boy.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
10 Apr. 2025 -
The 2025 Masters is here, and more than Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele will be on display this week at Augusta National Golf Club for all the fans — excuse us, patrons — to bear witness to.—
Hugh Kellenberger,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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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
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High-stakes use cases might justify a premium model, while simpler tasks could be served by more affordable options.—
Roman Vorel,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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And as one Redditor explained, Quito is a great option.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Apr. 2025
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They were approved in the fall so that students could enroll in the courses in time for the 2025-26 school year, Purcell explained at the March meeting.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Radiation can also be used to palliate painful bone metastases, as well as chemotherapy.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Flow Space,
1 Oct. 2024
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Senior-home avatars who are designed to palliate dementia patients in their darkest days.—
Longreads,
Longreads,
12 Apr. 2024
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“Extenuate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extenuate. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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