mitigate
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mit·i·gate
(mĭt′ĭ-gāt′)tr.v. mit·i·gat·ed, mit·i·gat·ing, mit·i·gates
Phrasal Verb: 1. To make less severe or intense; moderate or alleviate. See Synonyms at relieve.
2. To make alterations to (land) to make it less polluted or more hospitable to wildlife.
mitigate against Usage Problem
1. To take measures to moderate or alleviate (something).
2. To be a strong factor against (someone or something); hinder or prevent.
[Middle English mitigaten, from Latin mītigāre, mītigāt- : mītis, soft + agere, to drive, do; see act.]
mit′i·ga·ble (-gə-bəl) adj.
mit′i·ga′tion n.
mit′i·ga′tive, mit′i·ga·to′ry (-gə-tôr′ē) adj.
mit′i·ga′tor n.
Usage Note: Mitigate, meaning "to make less severe, alleviate" is sometimes used where militate, which means "to cause a change," might be expected. The confusion arises when the subject of mitigate is an impersonal factor or influence, and the verb is followed by the preposition against, so the meaning of the phrase is something like "to be a powerful factor against" or "to hinder or prevent," as in His relative youth might mitigate against him in a national election. Some 70 percent of the Usage Panel rejected this usage of mitigate against in our 2009 survey. Some 56 percent also rejected the intransitive use of mitigate meaning "to take action to alleviate something undesirable," in What steps can the town take to mitigate against damage from coastal storms? Perhaps the use with against in the one instance has soured Panelists on its use in the other. This intransitive use is relatively recent in comparison with the long-established transitive use, so novelty might play a role as well.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
mitigate
(ˈmɪtɪˌɡeɪt)vb
to make or become less severe or harsh; moderate
[C15: from Latin mītigāre, from mītis mild + agere to make]
mitigable adj
ˌmitiˈgation n
ˈmitiˌgative, ˈmitiˌgatory adj
ˈmitiˌgator n
Usage: Mitigate is sometimes wrongly used where militate is meant: his behaviour militates (not mitigates) against his chances of promotion
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
mit•i•gate
(ˈmɪt ɪˌgeɪt)v. -gat•ed, -gat•ing. v.t.
1. to lessen in force or intensity; make less severe: to mitigate the harshness of a punishment.
2. to make milder or more gentle; mollify.
v.i. 3. to become milder; lessen in severity.
[1375–1425; < Latin mītigātus, past participle of mītigāre to calm, soothe =mīt(is) mild + -igāre (see fumigate)]
mit′i•ga•ble (-gə bəl) adj.
mit′i•gat`ed•ly, adv.
mit`i•ga′tion, n.
mit′i•ga`tive, mit′i•ga•to`ry (-gəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i) adj.
mit′i•ga`tor, n.
usage: mitigate against (to weigh against) is widely regarded as an error. The actual phrase is militate against:This criticism in no way militates against your continuing the research.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
mitigate
Past participle: mitigated
Gerund: mitigating
| Imperative |
|---|
| mitigate |
| mitigate |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. |  mitigate - lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of; "The circumstances extenuate the crime"law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order" apologise, rationalize, apologize, rationalise, justify, excuse - defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning; "rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior"; "he rationalized his lack of success" |
| 2. | mitigate - make less severe or harsh; "mitigating circumstances" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
mitigate
verb ease, moderate, soften, check, quiet, calm, weaken, dull, diminish, temper, blunt, soothe, subdue, lessen, appease, lighten, remit, allay, placate, abate, tone down, assuage, pacify, mollify, take the edge off, extenuate, tranquillize, palliate, reduce the force of ways of mitigating the effects of an explosion
increase, strengthen, enhance, intensify, heighten, aggravate, augment
increase, strengthen, enhance, intensify, heighten, aggravate, augment
Usage: Mitigate is sometimes wrongly used where militate is meant: his behaviour militates (not mitigates) against his chances of promotion.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
mitigate
verbThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
snížitzmírnit
helpottaalieventää
złagodzićzminimalizowaćzmniejszyć
lindramildra
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
mitigate
[ˈmɪtɪgeɪt] vt (= reduce) [+ effect] → atténuerways of mitigating the effects of the illness → des moyens d'atténuer les effets de la maladie
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
mitigate
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
mit·i·gate
vt. mitigar, aliviar, calmar.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012