verb Synonyms of atone as in apologize, confess Synonyms & Near Synonyms for atone apologize, confess deodorize, excuse, explain away, extenuate, gloss (over), gloze (over), palliate, whitewash sugarcoat, varnish account (for), explain, justify, rationalize minimize, play down, soft-pedal alleviate, ease, lessen, lighten, mitigate, moderate,