1
as in to excuse
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 to ignore
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 gloss (over)
Verb
-
Taake isn’t the only Jan. 6 figure to find trouble waiting after being excused for actions on Jan. 6.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
28 Jan. 2025 -
At best, these pardons excuse the violence that took place on January 6, and at worst, encourage that kind of violence in the future by essentially promising would-be insurrectionists forgiveness.—
Vox Staff,
Vox,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Modeste says ignoring mental health will no longer cut it, so parents should have open and honest discussions about it.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
24 Jan. 2025
-
Peter, on the other hand, is approaching it in a very old fashioned, very masculine, frankly, way of burying it, ignoring it, and that doesn’t often work.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Then there’s the ruling’s decision that national security could justify potential speech suppression.—
Lauren Feiner,
The Verge,
24 Jan. 2025
-
That’s a pretty big gap and would require an equally large difference in their per-minute play to justify putting Hunter first.—
John Hollinger,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
But considering how integral he’s become to the cultural fabric, you could be forgiven for thinking he’s been ingrained in the hip-hop internet landscape forever.—
Damien Scott,
Billboard,
27 Jan. 2025
-
The elastic waistband is forgiving, which makes this pair easy to slip on and replaces the typical drawstring closure.—
Alyssa Brascia,
People.com,
25 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
But money alone doesn’t explain the absence of conscience.—
Todd L. Pittinsky,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Jan. 2025
-
Now, in a small hospital where soft sobs echoed off the sterile linoleum floors, Aaron Easton, the boy Sara married who grew up to be Marysville’s police chief, explained what happened: Sara had shot herself in the head.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacramento Bee,
26 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
This can especially be true for Black women who are often overworked, overlooked, and underpaid.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
27 Jan. 2025
-
However, Trump did not attach supporting data to his post and appeared to overlook that Reagan and other presidents would have had a smaller broadcast audience by default.—
Barbara A. Perry,
Newsweek,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
This opaqueness isn’t a flaw — if anything, more movies should resist explaining away the mysteries, however small, of their characters.—
Tom Gliatto,
People.com,
10 Jan. 2025
-
This season, injuries explained away the rough start.—
Eric Koreen,
The Athletic,
8 Jan. 2025
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.
Thesaurus Entries Near gloss (over)
Cite this Entry
“Gloss (over).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gloss%20%28over%29. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share