explain away
Justify with excuses
To explain away is to diminish or dismiss something troubling by offering justifications or rationalizations.
The phrase suggests the explanation is self-serving or inadequate—an attempt to make a problem disappear rather than genuinely address it: He tried to explain away the discrepancy in the accounts.
What gets explained away is usually an inconvenient fact, a contradiction, or evidence of wrongdoing.
Explain with invented reasons
- downplayDiminish perceived importance
- brush offDismissive rejection of someone
- gloss overMinimize or conceal flaws
- shrug offDismiss as unimportant
wave off · discount · hand-wave · trivialize · sidestep · deflect · evade · whitewash
Protect from harm
- excuseOffered reason for wrongdoing
- account forOffer justification for
- legitimizeMake lawful or valid
- vindicateClear of wrongdoing
exonerate · absolve · alibi · exculpate · palliate · mitigate · make excuses · plead
rationalize
Explain with invented reasons
- downplayDiminish perceived importance
- brush offDismissive rejection of someone
- gloss overMinimize or conceal flaws
shrug off · wave off · discount · hand-wave · trivialize · sidestep · deflect · evade · whitewash · paper over
defend
Protect from harm
- excuseOffered reason for wrongdoing
- account forOffer justification for
- legitimizeMake lawful or valid
vindicate · exonerate · absolve · alibi · exculpate · palliate · mitigate · make excuses · plead · extenuate
- dismissingbrush aside, brush off, wave off, shrug off, blow off
explain awayacknowledge
Confirm receipt or truth
confront · accept · own up to · admit · face up to
explain awayget to the bottom of
Thoroughly investigate something
comprehend · take at face value · substantiate · corroborate · prove
away, explain, explanation, explained, explaining, explains, explainable, unexplained, unexplainable