English Explanatory Dictionary

mitigate

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To reduce, lessen, or decrease and thereby to make less severe or easier to bear.
  2. To downplay.
  3. To give force or effect toward preventing a problem.
adj
  1. Mitigated, alleviated.

Pronunciation

/ˈmɪt.ɪ.ɡeɪt/ en-us-mitigate.ogg en-au-mitigate.ogg

Word forms

mitigate mitigates mitigating mitigated more mitigate most mitigate

Etymology

From Middle English mitigaten (“to relieve pain, soothe; (swelling) to abate; (hemorrhoids) to relieve; (the mind) to placate, appease; to end, check; to stop, cease”), from mitigat(e) (“mitigated, alleviated, relived”, also used as the past participle of mitigaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Latin mītigātus, the perfect passive participle of mītigō (“to make soft, ripe; to tame, pacify”), from mītis (“gentle, mild, ripe”) + -igō (“to do, make”), of uncertain origin, but perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *meh₁y- (“mild, soft”).

Synonyms

alleviate check diminish ease lighten mollify pacify palliate extenuate militate

Antonyms

aggrandize aggravate exacerbate incite increase intensify irritate worsen

Related words

mitigable mitigant mitigated mitigating mitigation mitigatory

Derived words

mitigatable mitigative mitigator remitigate
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