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View synonyms for

mitigate

[ mit-i-geyt ]

verb (used with object)

mitigated, mitigating.
  1. to lessen in force or intensity, as wrath, grief, harshness, or pain; moderate.
  2. to make less severe:

    to mitigate a punishment.

  3. to reduce the risk or impact of harmful conditions or events:

    To mitigate flood damage, new building regulations are being developed.

  4. to make (a person, one's state of mind, disposition, etc.) milder or more gentle; mollify; appease.
  5. Environmental Science. to restore or recreate (a habitat) in order to make up for losses due to development or agriculture:

    No one has tried anything on this scale before to mitigate the grasslands bird habitat.



verb (used without object)

mitigated, mitigating.
  1. to become milder; lessen in severity.

mitigate

/ ˈmɪtɪɡəbəl; ˈmɪtɪˌɡeɪt /

verb

  1. to make or become less severe or harsh; moderate
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Usage

Mitigate is sometimes wrongly used where militate is meant: his behaviour militates (not mitigates ) against his chances of promotion
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Confusables Note

Mitigate, whose central meaning is “to lessen” or “to make less severe,” is sometimes confused with militate, which means “to have effect or influence; weigh on.” This mix-up often occurs in the use of the phrase mitigate against, as follows: This criticism in no way mitigates (read militates ) against your going ahead with your research. Although this use of mitigate occasionally occurs in edited writing, it is rare and is widely regarded as an error.
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Derived Forms

  • ˌپˈپDz, noun
  • ˈپˌپ, adjective
  • ˈپˌٴǰ, noun
  • mitigable, adjective
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Other Word Forms

  • ··· [mit, -i-g, uh, -b, uh, l], adjective
  • ···پDz [mit-i-, gey, -sh, uh, n], noun
  • ···ٴǰ noun
  • ····ٱ verb overmitigated overmitigating
  • un···· adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of mitigate1

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English mitigaten, from Latin īپٳܲ (past participle of īپ “to calm, soften, soothe”), equivalent to ī() “mild, soft, gentle” + -ig- (combining form of agere “to do, cause to do, make”) + -ٳܲ verb suffix; -ate 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of mitigate1

C15: from Latin īپ, from īپ mild + agere to make
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

“It’s like they’re deciding between McDonald’s and Burger King,” said Patrick Griffin, the “wolf liaison” for Siskiyou County, whose job is to try to mitigate conflict between the predators and ranchers.

From

"It might be damaging but there might be ways to mitigate that – for example through pre-diluting the low-carbon water. It's important this is included in the discussion early on."

From

It said steps had been taken to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians.

From

Stormont Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, of the Democratic Unionist Party, previously said the Northern Ireland Executive did not have the resources to mitigate Labour's plans.

From

"The university will continue to make every effort to mitigate compulsory redundancies which will always remain a last resort."

From

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