extenuating circumstance
noun Law.
Usually extenuating circumstances. a circumstance that renders conduct less serious and thereby serves to reduce the damages to be awarded or the punishment to be imposed.
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Origin of extenuating circumstance
First recorded in 1830–40
Words nearby extenuating circumstance
extensor muscle of little finger, extensor retinaculum, extent, extenuate, extenuating, extenuating circumstance, extenuating circumstances, extenuation, extenuatory, exterior, exterior angle
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Idioms and Phrases with extenuating circumstances
extenuating circumstances
A situation or condition that provides an excuse for an action, as in Although Nancy missed three crucial rehearsals, there were extenuating circumstances, so she was not dismissed. This expression was originally legal terminology, denoting circumstances that partly excuse a crime and therefore call for less punishment or damages. [c. 1600]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.