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mitigate

mit·i·gate

mitigate

 
 
pronunciation:
mI tih geIt
parts of speech:
transitive verb, intransitive verb
features:
Word Combinations (verb)
part of speech: transitive verb
inflections: mitigates, mitigating, mitigated
definition 1: to lessen the force, severity, or impact of.
The politician's apology mitigated the criticism of him in the press.All the sympathy of her friends and family could not mitigate the sadness she felt.The fact that the boys were trying to return what they'd stolen mitigated their punishment to some degree.
synonyms:
abate, allay, moderate, modify, palliate, quell, temper
antonyms:
aggravate, intensify
similar words:
alleviate, appease, assuage, blunt, buff, buffer, diminish, lessen, lighten, mollify, reduce, relieve, soothe
definition 2: to cause one to consider (a mistake, crime, or offense) less harshly.
The defendant's desperate circumstances mitigated her crime in the eyes of the jury.
 
part of speech: intransitive verb
definition: to become less forceful or severe.
synonyms:
abate, diminish, ease up, moderate, subside
similar words:
decrease, lessen, let up, lighten, relent
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
derivations: mitigatedly (adv.), mitigation (n.), mitigator (n.)