unmitigated
Americanadjective
-
not mitigated; not softened or lessened.
unmitigated suffering.
- Synonyms:
- persistent, unbroken, unabated, unrelieved
-
unqualified or absolute.
an unmitigated bore.
adjective
-
not diminished in intensity, severity, etc
-
(prenominal) (intensifier)
an unmitigated disaster
Other Word Forms
- unmitigatedly adverb
Etymology
Origin of unmitigated
First recorded in 1590–1600; un- 1 + mitigate ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
Explanation
The adjective unmitigated describes something that is undiminished, unqualified, or absolute. If your new recipe for chocolate cupcakes is met by enthusiastic cheers, you can assume you have an unmitigated success on your hands. Unmitigated comes from the Latin roots un-, meaning "not," and mitigare, meaning "made mild, soft, or gentle." Although unmitigated can be used positively, as in "unmitigated success," the word is often framed in a negative light: the outdoor concert was an unmitigated disaster due to torrential rains and the fact that the band never even showed up.
Vocabulary lists containing unmitigated
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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To Kill a Mockingbird
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
EPC's Folkman warned the EU against "unmitigated protectionism".
From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026
“This is a dire profit warning in a long string of unmitigated disasters,” said analysts at Bernstein.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 22, 2026
One year before that, Urban Meyer’s brief stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars was such an unmitigated mess that he was fired in his first year with Trevor Lawrence.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 15, 2025
The rapid descent into delusion in the name of unmitigated cruelty and hollow provocation would be laughable if it weren’t terrifying at the same time.
From Salon • Sep. 28, 2025
Not everyone in China, however, viewed this result as an unmitigated triumph.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
