mitigate

[ mit-i-geyt ]

verb (used with object)

, mit·i·gat·ed, mit·i·gat·ing.

1. to lessen in force or intensity, as wrath, grief, harshness, or pain; moderate.
2. to make less severe:

   to mitigate a punishment.

3. to reduce the risk or impact of harmful conditions or events:

   To mitigate flood damage, new building regulations are being developed.

4. to make (a person, one's state of mind, disposition, etc.) milder or more gentle; mollify; appease.
5. 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)

, mit·i·gat·ed, mit·i·gat·ing.

1. to become milder; lessen in severity.

mitigate

/ ˈmɪtɪɡəbəl; ˈmɪtɪˌɡeɪt /

verb

1. to make or become less severe or harsh; moderate

Usage

Mitigate is sometimes wrongly used where militate is meant: his behaviour militates (not mitigates ) against his chances of promotion

Confusables Note

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.

Derived Forms

• ˌmitiˈgation, noun
• ˈmitiˌgative, adjective
• ˈmitiˌgator, noun
• mitigable, adjective

Other Words From

• mit·i·ga·ble [mit, -i-g, uh, -b, uh, l], adjective
• mit·i·ga·tion [mit-i-, gey, -sh, uh, n], noun
• mit·i·ga·tor noun
• o·ver·mit·i·gate verb overmitigated overmitigating
• un·mit·i·ga·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mitigate¹

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; -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of mitigate¹

C15: from Latin mītigāre, from mītis mild + agere to make

Example Sentences

Israel has previously said that it targets Hamas and takes steps to mitigate risk to civilians by using precise munitions.

From BBC

These deals, known as Section 106 agreements, see developers give money to councils to mitigate any negative impacts their private schemes might have on local communities or housing markets.

From BBC

A 2019 amendment to the act created the requirement after Trump sparked bipartisan outrage by failing to mitigate conflicts during his presidency.

From Salon

According to the European Council of Foreign Relations, “Hamas has adopted a temporary model of collective leadership to mitigate the effect of future Israeli assassinations”.

From BBC

Israel has in the past said it targets Hamas and takes steps to mitigate risk to civilians by using precise munitions.

From BBC

Related Words

• allay
• alleviate
• assuage
• blunt
• dull
• ease
• lessen
• mollify
• reduce
• relieve
• remediate
• soften
• soothe
• temper
• weaken