as in to excuse
to talk about or describe (something) in a way that makes it seem more pleasant or acceptable than it is
textbooks that sugarcoat history She has very strong opinions, and she doesn't try to sugarcoat them.
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Recent Examples of sugarcoat
In these allegories of dehumanization, greed, and hope, Marshall takes an unvarnished view of his subjects, one that doesn’t sugarcoat the past or succumb to nostalgia for a mythical, precolonial Golden Age.
—
James Meyer, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
What makes Black Photojournalism resonate is its refusal to sugarcoat the Black—and American—experience.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 29 Dec. 2025
There’s no sugarcoating it—more intricate lace nail art can be tricky to nail (pun intended) for beginners.
—Catharine Malzahn, Glamour, 27 Dec. 2025
There’s no use sugarcoating it—MGP has hit a bit of a rough patch over the past year.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 14 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sugarcoat
James Meyer, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
What makes Black Photojournalism resonate is its refusal to sugarcoat the Black—and American—experience.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 29 Dec. 2025
There’s no sugarcoating it—more intricate lace nail art can be tricky to nail (pun intended) for beginners.
—Catharine Malzahn, Glamour, 27 Dec. 2025
There’s no use sugarcoating it—MGP has hit a bit of a rough patch over the past year.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 14 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sugarcoat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sugarcoat
Verb
-
Twigg accordingly excused McKinley.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
29 Jan. 2026
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In other words, this bill wouldn’t excuse South Dakota residents from the current federal requirements for suppressor ownership.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And on Desaceleradas, Beatriz chooses not to explain away cumbia rebajada’s contradictions, but to celebrate its fundamental mystery.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
7 Jan. 2026
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The historian doesn’t explain away Moore’s infatuation and personal association with the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, who in 1975 invited her to attend a meeting of the Organization of African Unity in Kampala.—
Dara T. Mathis,
The Atlantic,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
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If margins continue to grow alongside revenue, the current low multiple becomes increasingly difficult to rationalize.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Each lie is rationalized as politics.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Howard, who had served as a second lieutenant with the Ninety‑Second Division, 366th Infantry in France during World War I, accused President Truman of using the Cold War to justify a sweeping peacetime expansion of America’s global military footprint.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
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And yet Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claims that the agents were justified despite evidence so clear that it can be found unedited on YouTube.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Gabbard has not explained her involvement in the case herself.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Jan. 2026
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On Rough and Rowdy Ways, Dylan also reemerges as a restless, sometimes cordial, often corrosive analyst, agreeing at last to engage—if not fully to explain—the whats, hows, and, possibly whys of his creative life.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Odessa A'zion is dropping out of a film project just two days after her involvement was announced, citing a whitewashing controversy that took over social media.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
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Sport must never be used to whitewash blood.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sugarcoat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sugarcoat. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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