mitigation

noun

mit·​i·​ga·​tion ˌmi-tə-ˈgā-shən 

plural mitigations

: the act of mitigating something or the state of being mitigated : the process or result of making something less severe, dangerous, painful, harsh, or damaging

mitigation of suffering

mitigation of punishment

There was, in sum, a period during the Cold War … when a mitigation of the Cold War, including a renegotiation of some of its most troublesome tensions, was possible or even probable.

—John Lukacs

Examples of mitigation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Employee education, gap analysis, vulnerability assessment, threat mitigation, and having up-to-date resilience plans to react to incidents are all part of this watchful approach. —Chuck Brooks, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024

The North Tunnel, a $141.5 million project, is a focal point of the flood mitigation plan which was unveiled in 2018 in response to heavy rains that caused major flooding in Ellicott City’s historic district leading to destruction and death. —Kiersten Hacker, Baltimore Sun, 23 Dec. 2024

The Fayetteville City Council on Tuesday voted to adopt a stormwater utility fee that the city expects to generate $3.1 million annually for flood mitigation projects. —Alex Golden, Axios, 19 Dec. 2024

Another analysis showed that surface solutions reduced mitigation costs by over $200 million, compared to conventional piping. —Natalie Donback, TIME, 18 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

mitigation

noun

mit·​i·​ga·​tion ˌmit-ə-ˈgā-shən 

1

: the act of mitigating or state of being mitigated

the cure, prevention, or mitigation of disease

—Encyclopedia Americana

2

: something that mitigates

a large number of drugs and mitigations … at the clinic

—The Journal of the American Medical Association