Synonyms for EXCUSE
ɪkˈskyuz; -ˈskyusex·cuse

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. excusenoun

   Synonyms:
   pretext

2. excuseverb

   To forgive; to pardon.

   I excused him his transgressions.

   Synonyms:
   pretext

3. excuseverb

   Synonyms:
   unguilt, pardon, let pass, let off the hook, forgive

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.0 / 3 votes

1. excuse

   All these words express one's answer to a charge of wrong or error that is or might be made. Apology has undergone a remarkable change from its old sense of a valiant defense — as in Justin Martyr's Apologies for the Christian faith — to its present meaning of humble confession and concession. He who offers an apology admits himself, at least technically and seemingly, in the wrong. An apology is for what one has done or left undone; an excuse may be for what one proposes to do or leave undone as well; as, one sends beforehand his excuse for not accepting an invitation; if he should fail either to be present or to excuse himself, an apology would be in order. An excuse for a fault is an attempt at partial justification; as, one alleges haste as an excuse for carelessness. Confession is a full acknowledgment of wrong, generally of a grave wrong, with or without apology or excuse. Plea ranges in sense from a prayer for favor or pardon to an attempt at full vindication. Defense, exculpation, justification, and vindication are more properly antonyms than synonyms of apology in its modern sense, and should be so given, but for their connection with its historic usage. Compare CONFESS; DEFENSE.

   Synonyms:
   acknowledgment, apology, confession, defense, exculpation, justification, plea, vindication

   Antonyms:
   accusation, censure, charge, complaint, condemnation, imputation, injury, insult, offense, wrong

   Preposition:
   An apology to the guest for the oversight would be fitting.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. excuse

   Synonyms:
   exculpate, absolve, pardon, forgive, overlook, condone, i emit, indulge, justify, vindicate, defend, acquit, mitigate, extenuate, release, exempt, exonerate

   Antonyms:
   charge, inculpate, condemn, sentence, exact, strain, accuse

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:1.0 / 2 votes

1. excuse, alibi, exculpation, self-justificationnoun

   a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.

   "he kept finding excuses to stay"; "every day he had a new alibi for not getting a job"; "his transparent self-justification was unacceptable"

   Synonyms:
   apology, excuse, exculpation, alibi, self-justification

2. excusenoun

   a note explaining an absence

   "he had to get his mother to write an excuse for him"

   Synonyms:
   apology, exculpation, alibi, self-justification

3. apology, excuseverb

   a poor example

   "it was an apology for a meal"; "a poor excuse for an automobile"

   Synonyms:
   apology, excuse, exculpation, apologia, alibi, self-justification

4. excuse, pardonverb

   accept an excuse for

   "Please excuse my dirty hands"

   Synonyms:
   relieve, rationalize, explain, let off, beg off, excuse, pardon, condone, apologise, exempt, rationalise, apologize, justify

5. excuse, relieve, let off, exemptverb

   grant exemption or release to

   "Please excuse me from this class"

   Synonyms:
   justify, condone, apologise, explain, relieve, unbosom, allay, rationalize, excuse, beg off, palliate, free, ease, let off, apologize, rationalise, assuage, alleviate, salve, remedy, salvage, take over, still, exempt, lighten, save, pardon

6. excuse, explainverb

   serve as a reason or cause or justification of

   "Your need to sleep late does not excuse your late arrival at work"; "Her recent divorce may explain her reluctance to date again"

   Synonyms:
   relieve, rationalize, explain, explicate, let off, beg off, excuse, pardon, condone, apologise, exempt, rationalise, apologize, justify

7. apologize, apologise, excuse, justify, rationalize, rationaliseverb

   defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning

   "rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior"; "he rationalized his lack of success"

   Synonyms:
   justify, condone, apologise, explain, relieve, prune, rationalize, excuse, beg off, vindicate, warrant, cut, let off, apologize, free, rationalise, exempt, absolve, pardon

8. excuse, beg offverb

   ask for permission to be released from an engagement

   Synonyms:
   relieve, rationalize, explain, let off, beg off, excuse, pardon, condone, apologise, exempt, rationalise, apologize, justify

9. excuse, condoneverb

   excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with

   "excuse someone's behavior"; "She condoned her husband's occasional infidelities"

   Synonyms:
   relieve, rationalize, explain, let off, beg off, excuse, pardon, condone, apologise, exempt, rationalise, apologize, justify

Matched Categories

1. • Forgive
   • Justify

Editors ContributionRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. to forgive

   to apologize for the insult

   she knew that she had insulted her friend in vain. the first thought was to apologize.

   Submitted by Themarly on May 20, 2021  

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:3.5 / 2 votes

1. excuseverb

   Synonyms:
   pardon, forgive, acquit, absolve, exculpate, exonerate, clear, make apology for, set right

2. excuseverb

   Synonyms:
   extenuate, justify, vindicate

3. excuseverb

   Synonyms:
   exempt, release, free, let off

4. excuseverb

   Synonyms:
   overlook, regard indulgently

5. excusenoun

   Synonyms:
   apology, plea, justification, absolution

6. excusenoun

   Synonyms:
   pretext, pretence, color, guise, disguise, semblance, make shift, false show

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. excusenoun

   Synonyms:
   justification, apology, plea, exoneration, palliation, extenuation, pardon, subterfuge, evasion, pretext, makeshift

2. excuseverb

   Synonyms:
   absolve, forgive, pardon, exonerate, palliate, justify, extenuate, acquit, exculpate, release

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "excuse":

   pretext, apology, alibi, apologise, sorry, forgive, apologize, pardon, guise, justification, pretence, excuses, justify, apologizing

How to pronounce EXCUSE?

How to say EXCUSE in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use EXCUSE in a sentence?

1. Esther Solano:

   The rallying cry right now is the economy and that can become an excuse to scrap anything related to matters of inclusion, equality or culture.

2. Daniel Turner:

   No, that's a terrible excuse.

3. Napoleon I:

   To Robert Fulton: What, sir, would you make a ship sail against the wind and currents by lighting a bonfire under her deck? I pray you excuse me, I have no time to listen to such nonsense.

4. Anthony Sideri:

   I really thought I could stop the next day, but I always had an excuse, i was closed off from the rest of the world. ... I wasn't even a part of it anymore.

5. President Barack Obama:

   There's no excuse for the kind of violence ... It is counterproductive, since Ferguson ... we have seen too many instances of what appears to be police officers interacting with individuals -- primarily African-American, often poor -- in ways that have raised troubling questions.