mitigate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to lessen in force or intensity, as wrath, grief, harshness, or pain; moderate.
-
to make less severe.
to mitigate a punishment.
-
to reduce the risk or impact of harmful conditions or events.
To mitigate flood damage, new building regulations are being developed.
-
to make (a person, one's state of mind, disposition, etc.) milder or more gentle; mollify; appease.
-
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)
verb
Usage
Mitigate is sometimes wrongly used where militate is meant: his behaviour militates (not mitigates ) against his chances of promotion
Commonly Confused
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
Derived Forms
-
mitigationnoun
-
mitigatornoun
-
overmitigateverb
-
mitigableadjective
-
mitigativeadjective
-
unmitigableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
mitigatesimple
-
mitigatessimple
-
have mitigatedperfect
-
has mitigatedperfect
-
am mitigatingprogressive
-
are mitigatingprogressive
-
is mitigatingprogressive
-
have been mitigatingperfect progressive
-
has been mitigatingperfect progressive
Past
-
mitigatedsimple
-
had mitigatedperfect
-
was mitigatingprogressive
-
were mitigatingprogressive
-
had been mitigatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mitigate
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; see -ate 1
Explanation
Choose the verb mitigate when something lessens the unpleasantness of a situation. You can mitigate your parents' anger by telling them you were late to dinner because you were helping your elderly neighbor. The somewhat formal verb mitigate comes from the Latin roots mītis, "soft," and agere, "to do/act," which add up to "to soften." It is often used with words that indicate an outcome or something harmful. When you buy car insurance, you are trying to mitigate the risks involved with driving. Sunscreen is used to mitigate the effects of the sun on your skin.
Vocabulary lists containing mitigate
Grade 10, List 6
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
This Week in Words: August 25 - 31, 2018
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Words: October 6 - 12, 2018
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
“That’s really kind of disheartening — that we’ve tried our best to mitigate fires ... yet fires are destroying more homes,” said Amanda Carlson, a research scientist with the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
Although Innolight has said it doesn’t restrict its business with U.S. customers, the company has aggressively expanded its offshore manufacturing footprint, including a major Thailand manufacturing site to mitigate manufacturing risks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Cyngor Gwynedd previously said it was "taking action to increase the provision of affordable homes, to mitigate the impact of large numbers of second homes and short-term holiday lets".
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
To hear neighbors tell it, the deodorizers, misters and other efforts to mitigate the issues aren’t enough.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
In another time, if I felt it unavoidable, I would have presented the fact solely to mitigate the ill sweep of my own activities.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
Moore said the facility has remained at 45 degrees, which mitigates the risk of it becoming a biohazard due to food spoilage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
CoreWeave mitigates customer-turned-competitor risk with multiyear contracts and financing backed by customer revenue streams.
From Barron's ● Mar. 24, 2026
But he added that the products Arm designs for that part of the market come with “dramatically smaller royalties,” which mitigates the potential impact on Arm’s business.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 4, 2026
The guarantee mitigates the risk for bondholders, and provides an incentive for Meta to renew.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 24, 2025
The fact that they are a part of her mitigates neither their hatred nor their fear.
From The Letters of Ambrose Bierce With a Memoir by George Sterling by Bierce, Ambrose
The attention economy is often portrayed helpfully by media outlets as an individual problem to be mitigated by reducing our own dependence on screens and devices.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
Moore cautioned people with lung issues or smoke sensitivity to avoid outdoor activities, but said crews have mitigated hazardous materials at the site.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026
Given the power of some AI models, there’s a question of whether governments regulate how this technology is rolled out, if it hurts job creation, and how that is mitigated.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
The impact on European security could be mitigated by U.S. troop deployments elsewhere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
Time mitigated his mad proposal, but it aggravated his feelings of frustration.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
It has said the company is committed to mitigating environmental effects at its facilities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Abatzoglou hypothesized the region’s link between wildfires and soil moisture could cause the mitigating effects of the preceding El Niño to linger longer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Now scientists are beginning to explore whether changing how we sleep can play a role in mitigating the toll of night shifts, and potentially alleviate the ill-effects of disrupted nights.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Giving the public indirect exposure to the benefits of AI through part- government ownership could be one means of mitigating the criticism and heading off a political backlash.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
No teacher would ever entertain the thought of mitigating, in any way, the punishment of a truant.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
