Explain away
Explain away verb - To give the reason for or cause of.
Usage example: after the surprise attack, military leaders struggled to explain away the nation's unpreparedness
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Synonyms for Explain away
Justify and explain away are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Justify" instead a verb "Explain away".
Justify
Justify verb - To be an acceptable reason for.
Usage example: you seem to think that losing a basketball game justifies a temper tantrum
Explain away and justify are semantically related. You can use "Explain away" instead a verb "Justify".
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
- clear and explain away
- clear and justify
- warrant and explain away
- warrant and justify
- account and explain away
- account and justify
- uphold and explain away
- uphold and justify
- condone and explain away
- condone and justify
- absolve and explain away
- absolve and justify
- excuse and explain away
- excuse and justify
Both terms in one sentence
- Later D&D attempts to justify the underground world of the Underdark, as well as some deep dwarven halls and other underground dungeons, explain away many needs with some kind of fungus.
Source: Multipurpose Monocultured Crop -
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: It's possible to explain away just about every single weird, terrifying and freakish event in the story as the delusions of people who are in highly-excited states of mind, though some examples are easier to justify this way than others.
Source: Literature / The Shining
Cite this Source
Justify and Explain away. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 22, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/explain_away/justify
Explain away & Justify. N.p., 2016. Web. 22 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/explain_away/justify>.
Justify or Explain away. 2016. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/explain_away/justify.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "explain away" and "justify" have occurred on timeline