as in excused
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 extenuated
Verb
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No staff member is obligated to participate, nor are staff excused from normal duty for the purposes of their own participation.—
Megan De Mar,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026 -
More than 80 people have already requested to be excused from the case, according to the Associated Press, with no jurors picked on the first day of proceedings.—
Amethyst Martinez,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Commissioner Rob Manfred justified the partnership by saying Polymarket pledged strong market surveillance provisions and close communication from its compliance staff and the league.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
24 Apr. 2026
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Likelihood of success To be justified, the use of force must be likely to accomplish the war’s aims.—
Valerie Morkevicius,
The Conversation,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Over the course of 25 minutes Breslow and Kennedy explained their decision to fire one of the most accomplished managers in franchise history after just 27 games this season and elevate Triple-A manager Chad Tracy to the big league role on an interim basis.—
Mac Cerullo,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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Studley explained the biological process responsible for the lobster’s two-toned appearance.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The island’s whitewashed, clifftop village offers romantic views of the Aegean Sea, and a steep, zig-zagging path climbs up the hillside to a church.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
23 Mar. 2026
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Sterilized, whitewashed, controlled, censored – all those words apply.—
Jim Axelrod,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Extenuated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extenuated. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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