mitigate

[mit-i-geyt]

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.

verb (used without object)

mitigated, mitigating 

1. to become milder; lessen in severity.

mitigate

/ ˈmɪtɪɡəbəl, ˈmɪtɪˌɡeɪt /

verb

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

Usage

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

Confusables 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.

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of mitigate¹

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; -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of mitigate¹

C15: from Latin mītigāre, from mītis mild + agere to make

Example Sentences

Companies have also gotten better at mitigating the cost—securing exemptions, raising prices, cutting spending and rearranging supply chains.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

To mitigate the cost, he considered a frozen pie in lieu of a fresh one, and store-brand chicken broth.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"Ensuring high air quality while indoors is crucial for mitigating the transmission of airborne disease, particularly in shared environments," says Dr. Li.

Read more on Science Daily

How can I mitigate the problems he’s created?

Read more on MarketWatch

“Organizations should seek legal counsel to understand what activities could create criminal or administrative exposure for them and their employees and how to mitigate any such exposure,” the post reads.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

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