glosses over
Brushes quickly by
To gloss over something is to treat it superficially or minimize its importance, often to avoid difficulty or embarrassment.
The phrase suggests applying a smooth, shiny surface that conceals what lies beneath: The report glossed over the company's safety violations.
Someone who glosses over mistakes acknowledges them only briefly before moving on.
- downplayDiminish perceived importance
- plays downMinimizes perceived importance
- sanitizesEliminates pathogens from surfaces
- brushes asideRejects as unimportant
- hideConceal or pelt
overlook · turns a blind eye · looks the other way · handwaves · waves away · mask · trivialize · understate · soft pedals · disregard · sugarcoat · obscure · paper over · whitewash · cover up · belittle · bury · suppress
- criticismscriticizes, disparages, condemns, denounces, censures
- distortionsdistort, distorts, deform, warp, twist
- oversimplificationgeneralizes, stereotypes, reduces, reductive, essentializes
glosses overscrutinizes
Examines in close detail
dissects · probes · investigates · digs into · unpacks
glosses overconfronts
Addresses a problem directly
tackles · emphasizes · highlights · harps on · belabors
glosses overconfronts
Addresses a problem directly
exposes · lays bare · brings to light · calls out · highlights