mitigate
[mit-i-geyt]
- to lessen in force or intensity, as wrath, grief, harshness, or pain; moderate.
- to make less severe: to mitigate a punishment.
- to make (a person, one's state of mind, disposition, etc.) milder or more gentle; mollify; appease.
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- to become milder; lessen in severity.
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Origin of mitigate
1375–1425; late Middle English mitigaten < 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 -ate1
Usage note
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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
dulllesseneaserelievereducetempersoothealleviatemollifyallaysoftenbluntassuageweakenmoderateappeasesubduepalliateextenuatemodifyExamples from the Web for mitigate
Contemporary Examples
But the military can mitigate the risks simply by virtue of its enormous logistical reach.
The Military’s Mission to Fight Ebola Might Be Dangerous But it Won’t Be Black Hawk DownNathan Bradley Bethea
September 19, 2014
Of course, cities can take steps right away to mitigate the damage done by militarizing law enforcement.
The deafening klaxons can leave one feeling helpless, but there are still steps you can take to mitigate the damage.
Yes, you can do a lot to mitigate this by providing mentors, training, college prep, and other services.
There are lots of things, including changing the kind of inner dialog, that can mitigate anxiety.
A Q&A with Scott Stossel, Author of ‘My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind’Jesse Singal
February 20, 2014
Historical Examples
But that did not at all mitigate our own shame--and surprise!
A Writer's Recollections (In Two Volumes), Volume IMrs. Humphry Ward
For good or evil, the great towns are here, and we can but mitigate.
Another SheafJohn Galsworthy
Grieving will not mitigate our lot, nay, it will add to its burden.
The Cat of BubastesG. A. Henty
The slow stare that he gave me did not mitigate the leisureliness of his entry.
RomanceJoseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer
Oswald saw the gravity of her trouble, and could say little to mitigate it.
Oswald LangdonCarson Jay Lee
mitigate
- to make or become less severe or harsh; moderate
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Word Origin
C15: from Latin mītigāre, from mītis mild + agere to make
usage
Mitigate is sometimes wrongly used where militate is meant: his behaviour militates (not mitigates) against his chances of promotion
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for mitigate
v.
early 15c., "relieve (pain)," from Latin mitigatus, past participle of mitigare "soften, make tender, ripen, mellow, tame," figuratively, "make mild or gentle, pacify, soothe," ultimately from mitis "gentle, soft" (from PIE *mei- "mild") + root of agere "do, make, act" (see act). First element is from PIE root *mei- "soft, mild." Related: Mitigated; mitigating; mitigates.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
mitigate
(mĭt′ĭ-gāt′)- To moderate in force or intensity.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.