glossed (over)

verb

past tense of gloss (over)
1
as in excused
to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses I don't want to gloss over her misbehavior, but keep in mind that she's been under a lot of stress lately

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in ignored
to dismiss as of little importance this biographer tends to gloss over his subject's many character flaws

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for glossed (over)
  1. excused
  2. ignored
  3. explained
  4. overlooked
  5. justified
  6. passed over
  7. explained away
  8. whitewashed
Verb
  • These departures would have probably been excused had the show captured the imagination of the audience.
    — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Senior quarterback Dante Moore was nowhere to be found during media availability following the Ducks' loss on the road, which was noticed by every reporter in the room, but according to head coach Dan Lanning, his absence was excused.
    — Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of excused
Verb
  • The shame lies with the governments who ignored the AIDS crisis and the stigma that was around people and the innate prejudice that was in society.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
  • It is enabled by a culture where consent and accountability are ignored.
    — Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of ignored
Verb
  • Justin Wilson, an associate professor of physics at Louisiana State University and a study coauthor, explained that random interventions could suppress otherwise unpredictable behavior.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Adding that there were multiple bloods; some waterier, some viscous, others stickier, Flanagan explained that blood for dropping was different from what needed to be painted on Howell, which could not drip off.
    — Alex Zalben, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of explained
Verb
  • While the property’s extensive and expensive renovation has elevated nearly every corner of the resort, the room doors appear to have been overlooked.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Kelly said that too often medical records note only a concussion, which is in fact a mild traumatic brain injury, but can be overlooked.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of overlooked
Verb
  • The combo of Cruise and Iñárritu justified a $125M production greenligiht.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2026
  • But the underlying frustrations with these engines were entirely justified by what unfolded in Malaysia.
    — Luke Smith, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of justified
Verb
  • If Waldron’s future role at Goldman Sachs appears to be a near certainty, that’s not the case for the rest of the bank’s C-suite, especially if several top executives depart after being passed over.
    — Morgan Chittum, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The Speaker claims that the House has passed over 900 pieces of legislation, 700 of which remain stuck in the Senate.
    — Don Wolfensberger, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of passed over
Verb
  • There are other options, but regardless of what’s on the table for the future, burnout deserves to be taken seriously rather than explained away out of pride, guilt, or habit.
    — Scott Hanson, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Certainly, there are swing issues that can’t be explained away by a good week at Triple-A.
    — John Shipley, Twin Cities, 29 May 2026
Definition of explained away
Verb
  • Boutique brand Katikies has brought the success of its sister hotel in Oia, Santorini, to Mykonos, with a spacious, whitewashed sanctuary on the island’s southwest coast.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The one-bedroom space is minimal, deliberately quiet, and whitewashed.
    — Katharine Sohn, Architectural Digest, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of whitewashed
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.

Browse Nearby Words

glossed
glossed (over)
glosses
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Cite this Entry

“Glossed (over).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/glossed%20%28over%29. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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