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excuse - 20 thesaurus results
| Main Entry: | excuse |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | reason, explanation |
| Synonyms: | alibi, apology, cover*, defense, disguise, evasion, expedient, extenuation, fish story*, grounds, justification, makeshift, mitigation, plea, pretext, routine, semblance, shift, song*, song and dance*, stall, stopgap*, story, substitute, subterfuge, trick*, vindication, whitewash*, cleanup, cop-out, cover story, coverup, jive*, rationalization, regrets, why and wherefore |
| Notes: | an alias is an assumed name, an alibi is a form of defense whereby a defendant attempts to prove that he or she was elsewhere when the crime in question was committed, while an excuse is an explanation offered to justify or obtain forgiveness a pardon is the act of excusing a mistake or offense; an excuse is an explanation offered to justify or obtain forgiveness |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | excuse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | forgive, absolve; justify |
| Synonyms: | acquit, alibi, appease, bear with, clear, condone, cover, defend, discharge, exculpate, exempt, exonerate, explain, extenuate, forgive, free, indulge, let off*, liberate, mitigate, overlook, pardon, pass over*, pretext, purge, rationalize, release, relieve, remit, reprieve, shrive, shrug off, spare, tolerate, vindicate, whitewash*, apologize for, dispense from, exempt from, give absolution, grant amnesty, let go, make allowances for, plead ignorance, take rap for, wink at* |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | absolve |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | free from responsibility, duty |
| Synonyms: | acquit, bleach, clear, discharge, exculpate, excuse, exempt, exonerate, forgive, free, launder*, let off*, liberate, loose, pardon, release, relieve, sanitize*, spare, spring*, vindicate, whitewash, write off*, blink at, go easy on, let off easy, let off the hook, let up on, lifeboat, set free, wink at*, wipe it off, wipe the slate clean |
| Antonyms: | bind, blame, charge, condemn, convict, hold, impeach, incriminate, obligate, punish, sentence |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | alibi |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | defense against charges of wrongdoing; evidence of absence |
| Synonyms: | account, affirmation, allegation, answer, assertion, assurance, avowal, case, cover, declaration, excuse, explanation, fish story*, justification, plea, pretext, profession, proof, reason, reply, retort, song and dance*, stall, statement, vindication, airtight case, cop-out |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | apology |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | offering of remorse, regret |
| Synonyms: | acknowledgment, admission, amends, atonement, concession, confession, defense, excuse, explanation, extenuation, justification, mea culpa, mitigation, plea, redress, reparation, vindication |
| Antonyms: | accusation, censure, charge, complaint, condemnation, criticism, defiance, indictment |
| Main Entry: | condone |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make allowance for |
| Synonyms: | buy*, disregard, excuse, forget, forgive, ignore, okay, overlook, pardon, pass over, remit, give green light, go along with, lap up, let it come, let it go by, let pass, look the other way, nod at, wink at* |
| Antonyms: | censure, condemn, forbid, prevent, not allow |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | cop out |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | abandon, quit |
| Synonyms: | back down, back off, back out, desert, dodge, excuse, rationalize, renege, renounce, revoke, skip, welsh, withdraw, backpedal, give the slip, have alibi, use pretext |
| Antonyms: | face, ready, take on, be ready |
| Main Entry: | evasion |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | escape, avoidance |
| Synonyms: | artifice, cunning, ditch*, dodge*, equivocation, evasiveness, excuse, lie, pretext, prevarication, quibble, routine, run-around, ruse, shift, slip*, sophism, sophistry, stall, stonewall*, subterfuge, trick, trickery, circumvention, cop-out, dodging, elusion, equivocating, eschewal, evading, fancy footwork, fudging, fugiviteness, fugivity, jive, obliqueness, shirking, shuffling, shunning |
| Antonyms: | facing, meeting, directness |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | example |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | instance, model |
| Synonyms: | archetype, case, case history, case in point, citation, copy, excuse, exemplar, ideal, illustration, lesson, object, original, paradigm, paragon, part, pattern, precedent, prototype, quotation, representation, sample, specimen, standard, stereotype, symbol, exemplification, for instance, kind of thing, sampling |
| Main Entry: | exculpate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | forgive |
| Synonyms: | absolve, acquit, amnesty, clear, condone, discharge, dismiss, excuse, exonerate, explain, free, justify, let off*, pardon, rationalize, release, remit, vindicate, disculpate, wipe slate clean |
| Antonyms: | blame, condemn, sentence |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | exempt |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | relieve, absolve |
| Synonyms: | clear, discharge, dispense, except, excuse, exonerate, free, let off*, liberate, pass by, release, spare, write off, go easy on, grant immunity, let off the hook, privilege from, wipe the slate |
| Antonyms: | blame |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | expiate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make amends for |
| Synonyms: | absolve, amend, appease, atone, atone for, compensate, correct, do penance, excuse, forgive, pay one's dues, rectify, redeem, redress, remedy, square things |
| Main Entry: | explain |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make clear; give a reason for |
| Synonyms: | account for, analyze, annotate, bring out, clarify, clear up, construe, decipher, define, demonstrate, describe, diagram, disclose, elucidate, excuse, explicate, expound, get across*, illustrate, interpret, justify, manifest, paraphrase, point out, rationalize, read, refine, render, resolve, reveal, solve, spell out*, teach, tell, translate, unfold, unravel, untangle, break down, go into detail, make plain, put across, put in plain English, set right, throw light upon |
| Antonyms: | complicate, confuse, mystify, obscure, perplex, be vague |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | explanation |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | clarification; reason |
| Synonyms: | account, annotation, answer, breakdown, brief, cause, comment, commentary, confession, definition, demonstration, description, details, display, elucidation, evidence, example, excuse, exposition, expression, gloss, history, illustration, information, interpretation, justification, meaning, mitigation, motive, narration, note, recital, rendition, report, resolution, sense, showing, significance, specification, statement, story, summary, tale, talking, telling, vindication, writing, explication |
| Antonyms: | complication |
| Main Entry: | extenuate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | lessen, mitigate |
| Synonyms: | decrease, diminish, downplay, excuse, justify, minimize, moderate, palliate, qualify, reduce, soften, make allowances |
| Main Entry: | forgive |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | stop blame and grant pardon |
| Synonyms: | absolve, acquit, amnesty, bear with, bury the hatchet*, clear, commute, condone, efface, exculpate, excuse, exempt, exonerate, extenuate, forget, let off*, overlook, palliate, pocket, purge, release, relent, remit, reprieve, respite, spring, accept apology, allow for, bear no malice, dismiss from mind, kiss and make up, laugh off, let bygones be bygones, let it go, let off easy, let pass, let up on, make allowance, think no more of, turn other cheek, wink at*, wipe slate clean |
| Antonyms: | accuse, blame, censure, charge, punish |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | incentive |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | lure, inducement |
| Synonyms: | bait, catalyst, come-on*, consideration, drive, encouragement, enticement, excuse, exhortation, goad, ground, impetus, impulse, incitement, influence, insistence, inspiration, instigation, motivation, motive, persuasion, provocation, purpose, rationale, reason, spring, spur, stimulant, stimulation, stimulus, temptation, urge, whip, allurement, carrot*, determinant, reason why |
| Antonyms: | block, hindrance, turn-off |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | justify |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | legitimize, substantiate |
| Synonyms: | absolve, acquit, advocate, alibi*, answer for, approve, assert, bear out, brief, claim, clear, condone, confirm, contend, cop a plea, countenance, crawl, defend, establish, exculpate, excuse, exonerate, explain, favor, legalize, maintain, palliate, pardon, plead, rationalize, rebut, square, support, sustain, uphold, validate, verify, vindicate, warrant, apologize for, argue for, be answerable for, do justice to, make allowances, make good, show cause, speak in favor, stand up for |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | let off |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make not subject to punishment or action |
| Synonyms: | abandon, absolve, discharge, dispense, drop, excuse, exempt, exonerate, forgive, pardon, release, relieve, remove, spare, let go, privilege from |
| Antonyms: | blame, incarcerate, punish |
| Main Entry: | opportunity |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | lucky chance; favorable circumstances |
| Synonyms: | befalling, break*, connection, contingency, convenience, cut*, event, excuse, fair shake*, fighting chance*, fitness, fling*, fortuity, freedom, go*, good fortune, good luck, happening, hope, hour, iron in the fire, juncture, leisure, liberty, moment, occasion, one's move, one's say, one's turn, opening, pass, prayer*, probability, relief, room, run, scope, shot*, show, space, spell, squeak, stab, the hunt, the running, time, turn, whack* |
| Antonyms: | bad luck, misfortune |
* = informal/non-formal usage
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
