mitigate
1 of 1verb/ˈmɪtɪɡeɪt/
Forms:mitigates,mitigating,mitigated,mitigated
1
to lessen something's seriousness, severity, or painfulness
transitive- Planting more trees can mitigate the impact of climate change.
- Ongoing efforts are currently mitigating the environmental damage caused by industrial activities.
- Timely intervention has mitigated the consequences of the economic downturn.
- The emergency response teams were continuously mitigating the effects of the natural disaster.
- The new medication helped to mitigate the patient’s severe pain.
2
to make an offense or mistake seem less serious or severe by providing explanations or excuses
transitive- The defendant's remorse and cooperation with authorities helped mitigate the seriousness of his crime.
- The judge considered the defendant's difficult upbringing as a factor to mitigate his offense.
- The student's sincere apology and willingness to make amends mitigated the consequences of his plagiarism.
- The athlete's positive drug test results were mitigated by evidence of contaminated supplements.