mitigating

Rarely mit·i·ga·tive

[mit-i-gey-ting]

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.

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of mitigating¹

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

But Sam Thomas, mitigating for Smith, argued there was "not a racist bone in his body" and that he had "no issue with people coming into this country fleeing persecution".

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Paul Baker, mitigating, suggested Sharwarq was experiencing a "breakdown" brought on by the trauma of fleeing war in Syria in 2011.

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"We encourage people to notice and enjoy the trees around them, and learn more about how they benefit us - from boosting biodiversity and wellbeing, to mitigating the effects of climate change."

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The IDF told us that it is "committed to mitigating civilian harm during operational activity" and that it "makes great efforts to estimate and consider potential civilian collateral damage in its strikes".

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“She feels horrible about all of this. Nobody wants to be in the chain of causation,” Geragos said, adding that he will present evidence of mitigating circumstances at her Dec. 10 sentencing.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• encouraging www.thesaurus.com
• reassuring 
• refreshing 
• soothing