excuse

noun

(countable, uncountable) An explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment; a plea offered in extenuation of a fault.

(law) A defense to a criminal or civil charge wherein the accused party admits to doing acts for which legal consequences would normally be appropriate, but asserts that special circumstances relieve that party of culpability for having done those acts.

(often with preceding negative adjective, especially sorry, poor, or lame) An example of something that is substandard or of inferior quality.

verb

(transitive) To forgive; to pardon; to overlook.

(transitive) To allow to leave, or release from any obligation.

(transitive) To provide an excuse for; to justify.

To relieve of an imputation by apology or defense; to make apology for as not seriously evil; to ask pardon or indulgence for.

Roots

causacus- · Latin · cause, reason

Synonyms for excuse

exculpationn apologyn alibin pardonv condonev pretextn justificationn forgivev explainv rationalizev justifyv explanationn absolvev condonationn reasonn exculpatev extenuationn

Synonyms & related words for excuse

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of excuse — including exculpation, apology, alibi, pardon, condone, pretext. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to excuse

Explore words related to excuse — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include apologize, excuser, excusatory, excusable, apologia, apologetically, inexcusable, excusably. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for excuse

Common synonyms for excuse include exculpation, apology, alibi, pardon, condone, pretext, justification, forgive — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does excuse come from?

The word excuse breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root cus-, from Latin causa (“cause, reason”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.