Well-read · Commonly confused · Law & order
Mitigate: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Mitigate verb. To make something bad less severe or painful.
How to say it
MIT-ih-gayt/ˈmɪtɪɡeɪt/
3 syllables, stressed on the first (MIT). Forms: mitigating, mitigated.
Mitigate in a sentence
Planting trees upstream can help mitigate flooding in the town.
The judge accepted that there were mitigating circumstances.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- lessen
- ease
- reduce
- alleviate
Opposite:
- aggravate
- worsen
- intensify
Usage note
Mitigate means make less bad and takes a direct object: mitigate the risk. 'Mitigate against' is a mix-up with militate against, which means work against.
Don’t confuse with militate
militate (verb): To be a strong factor that works against (or, less often, for) something happening.
Where mitigate comes from
From Latin mitigare, to soften, from mitis, mild.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
The judge accepted that there were _____ circumstances.
- imply
- prescribe
- mitigate
Show the answer
mitigate: The judge accepted that there were mitigating circumstances.