mitigate

[ mit-i-geyt ]

Part of Speech verb

Origin + Etymology

late Middle English from early 15th century, "relieve (pain); make mild or more tolerable; reduce in amount or degree," from the Latin mitigatus, past participle of mitigare "soften, make tender, ripen, mellow, tame," figuratively, "make mild or gentle, pacify, soothe," ultimately from mitis "gentle, soft" + root of agere "to do, perform"

Synonyms

soothe weaken lessen ease relieve

allay alleviate assuage reduce soften

Antonyms

extend increase intensify upset worsen

aggravate agitate provoke raise trouble

Definition

1. to make less severe

2. to lessen in force or intensity, as wrath, grief, harshness, or pain; moderate

Examples

1. A) She apologized to her mom in an attempt to mitigate her punishment. B) She gave a coupon to the customer to mitigate his anger.

2. A) She tried to figure out a way to mitigate the damage her sister caused. B) He told his teacher that he liked her shoes in a feeble attempt to mitigate her ire.

Usage Over Time

#educational

Usage Over Time

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[ sang-gwin ]

reddish; ruddy

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[ muh-kah-bruh, -kahb ]

gruesome and horrifying; ghastly; horrible

flimflam

[ flim-flam ]

a piece of nonsense; twaddle; bosh

sieve

[ siv ]

an instrument with a meshed or perforated bottom for straining liquids

fletcherize

[ flech-uh-rahyz ]

to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly

onomatopoeia

[ on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh ]

the formation of a word, as cuckoo, meow, honk, or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent; often used for rhetorical, dramatic, or poetic effect

emollient

[ ih-mol-yuhnt ]

an emollient medicine, lotion, salve, etc.

torque

[ tawrk ]

the ability of an element that rotates, like a gear or shift, to overcome resistance

treatise

[ tree-tis ]

a formal and systematic exposition in writing of the principles of a subject, generally longer and more detailed than an essay