extenuating circumstance
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of extenuating circumstance
First recorded in 1830–40
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
No matter the situation, the season, the holiday, the extenuating circumstance — there was always tuna.
From Salon • Dec. 18, 2022
“There must be some extenuating circumstance that they felt the urgency to arrest him then instead of waiting, if there was some risk factor, an escape risk or something like that,” Hahn said.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 8, 2022
That’s the steepest increase since 1991, but the reopening of the economy is a major extenuating circumstance that prompts some to dismiss inflation risk.
From New York Times • Jul. 9, 2021
Only students facing extenuating circumstance will be allowed to live in campus housing.
From Washington Times • Oct. 10, 2020
The context is almost always an aggravating rather than an extenuating circumstance.
From Gems (?) of German Thought by Archer, William
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
