Library / English Dictionary

MITIGATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make less severe or harsh

Example:

mitigating circumstances

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "mitigate" is one way to...):

decrease; lessen; minify (make smaller)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "mitigate"):

lighten; relieve (alleviate or remove (pressure or stress) or make less oppressive)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

mitigable (capable of being alleviated)

mitigation (a partial excuse to mitigate censure; an attempt to represent an offense as less serious than it appears by showing mitigating circumstances)

mitigative; mitigatory (moderating pain or sorrow by making it easier to bear)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of

Example:

The circumstances extenuate the crime

Synonyms:

extenuate; mitigate; palliate

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "mitigate" is one way to...):

apologise; apologize; excuse; rationalise; rationalize (defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning)

Domain category:

jurisprudence; law (the collection of rules imposed by authority)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Derivation:

mitigation (to act in such a way as to cause an offense to seem less serious)

mitigation (a partial excuse to mitigate censure; an attempt to represent an offense as less serious than it appears by showing mitigating circumstances)

mitigative; mitigatory (moderating pain or sorrow by making it easier to bear)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Their use would dramatically reduce emissions compared to traditional materials, helping to mitigate the human impact on climate change.

(Visualising heat flow in bamboo could help design more energy-efficient and fire-safe buildings, University of Cambridge)

Understanding how forest structure drives carbon sequestration is important for ecologists, climate modelers and forest managers, who are working on ways to mitigate climate change.

(Structural complexity in forests improves carbon capture, National Science Foundation)

You have done something to mitigate my feelings for the loathsome profession to which you unhappily belong.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

If the slope of the ice shelf is sufficiently steep, the water may flow off the ice shelf to the ocean in large surface rivers, mitigating against any potential instability.

(Surface lakes cause Antarctic ice shelves to ‘flex’, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Dutasteride competitively and specifically binds to isoenzymes 1 and 2 of 5 alpha-reductase, forming stable enzyme complexes and inhibiting the conversion of testosterone to 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT); the reduction in DHT activity may mitigate or prevent enlargement of the prostate gland.

(Dutasteride, NCI Thesaurus)

The latest study combined with past research indicates that a fasting-mimicking diet may have similar beneficial health effects for humans suffering from IBD (or who simply eat low-quality diets and want to mitigate some of the damage).

(Fasting-Like Diets May Reverse Gut Inflammation, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

'While we cannot confirm yet that the association is causal, we hope to continue our research to determine whether air pollution does indeed cause glaucoma and to find out if there are any avoidance strategies that could help people reduce their exposure to air pollution to mitigate the health risks.'

(Air Pollution Can Trigger Glaucoma, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Rock core samples from a period of warming millions of years ago indicate that soils contributed to a rapid rise in atmospheric greenhouse gases and suggest that modern climate models may overestimate Earth's ability to mitigate future warming, according to an international team of scientists.

(Clues found on how soils may respond to climate change, National Science Foundation)

Administration of HSV-TK-transduced lymphocytes after T cell-depleted allogeneic stem cell transplantation allows an early controllable immune reconstitution, which takes advantage of the antitumor effect of donor lymphocytes and helps to mitigate the risk of post-transplant opportunistic infection.

(HSV-TK-Transduced Donor Lymphocytes, NCI Thesaurus)

Any chemical substance, biological agent or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest, including insects, plant pathogens, weeds, mollusks, birds, mammals, fish, nematodes (roundworms) and microbes that compete with humans for food, destroy property, spread or are a vector for disease or are a nuisance.

(Pesticide, NCI Thesaurus)