Definition of Mitigate

1. Verb. Lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of. "The circumstances extenuate the crime"


2. Verb. Make less severe or harsh. "Mitigating circumstances"
Specialized synonyms: Lighten, Relieve
Generic synonyms: Decrease, Lessen, Minify
Derivative terms: Mitigable, Mitigation, Mitigative, Mitigatory

Definition of Mitigate

1. v. t. To make less severe, intense, harsh, rigorous, painful, etc.; to soften; to meliorate; to alleviate; to diminish; to lessen; as, to mitigate heat or cold; to mitigate grief.

Definition of Mitigate

1. Verb. (transitive) To reduce, lessen, or decrease. ¹

2. Verb. (transitive) To downplay. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Mitigate

1. to make less severe [v -GATED, -GATING, -GATES]

Medical Definition of Mitigate

1. Synonym: palliate. Origin: L. Mitigo, pp. -atus, to make mild or gentle, fr. Mitis, mild, + ago, to do, make (05 Mar 2000)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Mitigate

mithridatics
mithridatisation
mithridatism
mithridatization
mithridatize
mithridatized
mithril
miticidal
miticide
miticides
mitier
mitiest
mitigable
mitigant
mitigants
mitigate (current term)
mitigated
mitigates
mitigating
mitigating circumstance
mitigatingly
mitigation
mitigations
mitigative
mitigator
mitigators
mitigatory
miting
mitis
mitises

Literary usage of Mitigate

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Century Dictionary: An Encyclopedic Lexicon of the English Language by William Dwight Whitney (1890)
"Her benevolent heart sought every means to mitigate the authorized severities ... Where the King took displeasure, she would mitigate and appease his mind. ..."

2. Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville, Henry Reeve (1862)
"CAUSES WHICH mitigate THE TYRANNY OF THE MAJORITY IN THE UNITED STATES. ABSENCE OP CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION. i The national majority does not pretend to ..."

3. A Treatise on the Law of Damages: Embracing an Elementary Exposition of the by Jabez Gridley Sutherland (1893)
"... other available arrangements to mitigate the loss, or to avoid the expenditure incident to the proposed voyage. § 880. Carrier must mitigate his loss. ..."

4. History of the Boston Massacre, March 5, 1770: Consisting of the Narrative by Frederic Kidder, John Adams (1870)
"... they killed another who was innocent, or if the provocation was such as to mitigate the guilt to manslaughter it will equally mitigate the guilt, ..."

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