mitigating

American  

[mit-i-gey-ting] / ˈmɪt ɪˌgeɪ tɪŋ /

Rarely mitigative

adjective

1. lessening the force, intensity, or severity of something, as punishment, danger, pain, anger, etc. (sometimes used in combination).

   The defense made only brief mention of his intellectual disability and the beatings he suffered—mitigating circumstances that could have changed the trial’s outcome.

   As a responsible bank, we take various risk-mitigating measures to protect the interests of our customers.

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noun

1. the act or fact of lessening the force, severity, etc., of something.

   Seven organizations have agreed to contribute microsatellites dedicated to the monitoring and mitigating of man-made and natural disasters.

Other Word Forms

• nonmitigative nonmitigatory
  adjective
• unmitigative
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of mitigating

First recorded in 1565–75; mitigat(e) ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective; mitigat(e) ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun

Example Sentences

Mitigating against “critical harm”—defined as “the death or serious injury” of more than 100 people or more than $1 billion in economic damage—might not seem like a heavy lift.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025

Mitigating inflammation caused by poor sleep may be the trigger for some patients to start to experience weight loss.

From Salon • Jan. 7, 2025

Mitigating, Gary Wood said Ahmed had gathered with others amid fears their mosque would be targeted but "his intention was not to provoke any form of violence".

From BBC • Aug. 15, 2024

Mitigating damage requires accurate assessments of risks, but most predictive models focus on projected sea level rise while most physical observations focus on storm surge events.

From Science Daily • Feb. 28, 2024

Mitigating the rigors of winter, by giving back to the atmosphere the surplus heat stored up during the summer, they have revolutionized agriculture.

From In the Year 2889 by Verne, Jules

Related Words

• encouraging
• reassuring
• refreshing
• soothing