mitigate

American  

[mit-i-geyt] / ˈmɪt ɪˌgeɪt /

verb (used with object)

mitigated, mitigating

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)

mitigated, mitigating

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

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

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

“Those efforts are succeeding and it’s giving us opportunity to reconsider engaging in close proximity to implement some of the concepts...to mitigate this thing,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026

We advocate staying invested to benefit from rising earnings while diversifying across the AI value chain to mitigate company-specific risks.

From Barron's • May 23, 2026

From there, teams in hazardous material suits can go in and “neutralize and mitigate the vapors that will be coming off of that,” Covey said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026

The requirement for broadcasters to adopt ever-increasing protection measures to fulfil their duty of care to contestants "is evidence of the growing risks they are trying, and too often failing, to mitigate", he said.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

The fact that our lack of care and concern may have been, at times, unintentional or unconscious does not mitigate our crime—if we refuse, when given the chance, to make amends.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

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