Nearby Words
verb (used with object)
2.
to make less severe: to mitigate a punishment.
3.
to make (a person, one's state of mind, disposition, etc.) milder or more gentle; mollify; appease.
verb (used without object)
4.
to become milder; lessen in severity.
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Mitigate
is a GRE word you need to know.
So is rebuff. Does it mean:
| blunt or abrupt rejection, as of a person making advances |
| twisted |
Origin:
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
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
Related forms
mit·i·gat·ed·ly, adverb
mit·i·ga·tion, noun
mit·i·ga·tor, noun
EXPANDnon·mit·i·ga·tive, adjective
non·mit·i·ga·to·ry, adjective
o·ver·mit·i·gate, verb, -gat·ed, -gat·ing.
un·mit·i·ga·ble, adjective
un·mit·i·ga·tive, adjective
COLLAPSEUsage note
Mitigate, whose central meaning is “to lessen” or “make less severe,” is sometimes confused with militate, “to have effect or influence,” in the phrase mitigate against: This criticism in no way militates (not mitigates) 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.
Mitigate, whose central meaning is “to lessen” or “make less severe,” is sometimes confused with militate, “to have effect or influence,” in the phrase mitigate against: This criticism in no way militates (not mitigates) 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 Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To mitigate
Example Sentences
- You can mitigate risk, but you can't eliminate it.
- Conservationists successfully sued to mitigate resulting damage to the area's salt marsh.
- Many schools turn to fundraising to mitigate those shortfalls.
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
mitigate
early 15c., from L. mitigatus, pp. of mitigare "make mild or gentle," ultimately from mitis "gentle, soft" + root of agere "do, make, act" (see act). First element is from PIE base *mei- "soft, mild." Related: Mitigated; mitigates.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
mitigate mit·i·gate (mĭt'ĭ-gāt')
v. mit·i·gat·ed, mit·i·gat·ing, mit·i·gates
To moderate in force or intensity.
mit'i·ga'tion n.
mit'i·ga'tive or mit'i·ga·to'ry (-gə-tôr'ē) adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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