glossing over
Treating too lightly
Glossing over is treating something superficially or dismissively, passing quickly past details that deserve more attention.
The phrase suggests applying a shiny surface that conceals flaws underneath: The report glossed over the safety violations.
To gloss over mistakes is to minimize or ignore them rather than address them honestly.
- oversimplificationStripping complexity unfairly
- omissionFailure to include
- whitewashingConcealing unpleasant facts
- minimizingReducing to smallest extent
- veneerDecorative outer layer
sweeping under the rug · fudging · facade · putting lipstick on a pig · window dressing · sugarcoating · euphemism · concealment · trivializing · spin · soft pedaling · downplaying · deflection · misrepresentation · avoidance · brushing aside · denial · skimming
- downplayingminimizing, downplay, trivializing, belittling, soft-pedal
- deceptionlie, lies, lying, fake, fraud
- excusesexcuse, not my fault, overslept, alibi, excuses
- interpretationinterpretive dance, translation, interpreting, translating, construing
- Excusingjustifying, forgiving, pardoning, condoning, rationalizing
- negligenceneglect, gross negligence, criminal negligence, medical negligence, negligence
glossing overscrutinizing
Examining something very closely
investigating · probing · dissecting · poring over · unpacking
glossing overconfronting
Addressing directly
exposing · laying bare · calling out · revealing · bringing to light
glossing overemphasizing
Giving special importance to
highlighting · harping on · belaboring · stressing · underscoring
over, gloss, glosses over, gloss over, glossed, glosses, glossing, glossed over