mitigate

American  

[mit-i-geyt] / ˈmɪt ɪˌgeɪt /

verb (used with object)

mitigates, present (3rd person singular) mitigated, past participle, past mitigating present participle

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.

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verb (used without object)

mitigates, present (3rd person singular) mitigated, past participle, past mitigating present participle

1. to become milder; lessen in severity.

mitigate British  

/ ˈmɪtɪɡəbəl, ˈmɪtɪˌɡeɪt /

verb

1. to make or become less severe or harsh; moderate

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Usage

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

Commonly Confused

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• mitigator
  noun
• mitigation
  noun
• mitigable
  adjective
• unmitigable
  adjective
• overmitigate
  verb
• mitigative
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have mitigated
  perfect
• has mitigated
  perfect 3rd person singular
• mitigates
  singular 3rd person
• mitigating
  participle
• am mitigating
  progressive 1st person singular
• is mitigating
  progressive 3rd person singular
• are mitigating
  progressive
• have been mitigating
  perfect progressive
• has been mitigating
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular

Past

• had mitigated
  perfect
• mitigated
  simple
• had been mitigating
  perfect progressive
• mitigated
  participle
• were mitigating
  progressive plural
• was mitigating
  progressive singular

Future

• will mitigate
  simple
• will have mitigated
  perfect
• will be mitigating
  progressive
• will have been mitigating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of mitigate

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English mitigaten, from Latin mītigātus (past participle of mītigāre “to calm, soften, soothe”), equivalent to mīt(is) “mild, soft, gentle” + -ig- (combining form of agere “to do, cause to do, make”) + -ātus verb suffix; see -ate ¹

Explanation

Choose the verb mitigate when something lessens the unpleasantness of a situation. You can mitigate your parents' anger by telling them you were late to dinner because you were helping your elderly neighbor. The somewhat formal verb mitigate comes from the Latin roots mītis, "soft," and agere, "to do/act," which add up to "to soften." It is often used with words that indicate an outcome or something harmful. When you buy car insurance, you are trying to mitigate the risks involved with driving. Sunscreen is used to mitigate the effects of the sun on your skin.

Example Sentences

"This may allow for the development of novel strategies that target MHC class I and CD4+ T cells to leverage the beneficial side of immunity or mitigate unwanted immune responses."

From Science Daily • Jun. 4, 2026

The agency also spearheaded the construction of fly-sterilization plants in Texas, which are designed to release sterilized New World screwworm flies into the wild and mitigate reproduction.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026

Although legal costs surged, Feldstein Soto said she did her best to mitigate damage on a number of difficult cases she inherited when taking office in 2022.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

Paris hopes to keep its deficit at five percent of GDP this year, despite new spending measures to mitigate the impact of oil prices on certain sectors.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

A few congressmen and witnesses tried to mitigate the scapegoating of the Osage.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Related Words

• allay
• alleviate
• assuage
• blunt
• dull
• ease
• lessen
• mollify
• reduce
• relieve
• remediate
• soften
• soothe
• temper
• weaken