mitigate

verb

mit·​i·​gate ˈmi-tə-ˌgāt 

mitigated; mitigating

transitive verb

1

: to cause to become less harsh or hostile : mollify

aggressiveness may be mitigated or … channeled

—Ashley Montagu

2

a

: to make less severe or painful : alleviate

mitigate a patient's suffering

b

: extenuate

attempted to mitigate the offense

mitigative

ˈmi-tə-ˌgā-tiv 

adjective

mitigator

ˈmi-tə-ˌgā-tər 

noun

mitigatory

ˈmi-ti-gə-ˌtȯr-ē 

adjective

Mitigate vs. Militate: Usage Guide

Mitigate is sometimes used as an intransitive (followed by against) where militate might be expected. Even though Faulkner used it

some intangible and invisible social force that mitigates against him

—William Faulkner

and one critic thinks it should be called an American idiom, it is usually considered a mistake.

Did you know?

The meaning of mitigate is straightforward enough: to make something—such as a problem, symptom, or punishment—less harsh or severe. Sometimes, however, mitigate appears where the similar-looking militate is expected. That word, which is often followed by against, means “to have weight or effect,” as in “your unexcused absences are likely to militate against your getting a promotion.” The two words are not closely related (mitigate comes from the Latin verb mitigare, meaning “to soften,” whereas militate traces to militare, meaning “to engage in warfare”), but the confusion between the two has existed for long enough that some usage commentators have accepted “mitigate against” as an idiomatic alternative to militate. Even William Faulkner used mitigate in this way in his 1932 short story, Centaur in Brass, writing “It's as though there were some intangible and invisible social force that mitigates against him.” But unless you’re Faulkner, it’s best to keep mitigate and militate distinct.

Synonyms

• allay
• alleviate
• assuage
• ease
• help
• mollify
• palliate
• relieve
• soothe

Choose the Right Synonym for mitigate

relieve, alleviate, lighten, assuage, mitigate, allay mean to make something less grievous.

relieve implies a lifting of enough of a burden to make it tolerable.

took an aspirin to relieve the pain

alleviate implies temporary or partial lessening of pain or distress.

the lotion alleviated the itching

lighten implies reducing a burdensome or depressing weight.

good news would lighten our worries

assuage implies softening or sweetening what is harsh or disagreeable.

ocean breezes assuaged the intense heat

mitigate suggests a moderating or countering of the effect of something violent or painful.

the need to mitigate barbaric laws

allay implies an effective calming or soothing of fears or alarms.

allayed their fears

Examples of mitigate in a Sentence

At the far end of the room is a sliding glass door, taped with an X to mitigate shattering. The framing is flimsy, and rattles from mortar rounds even a half mile away. —William Langewiesche, Atlantic, May 2005

… a genre novel whose inevitable cinematic ending doesn't mitigate the visceral and emotional power of what has come before. It lingers in the memory like a very bad dream. —Joyce Carol Oates, New York Review of Books, 14 Aug. 2003

For 65 holes Norman dominated the classic rolling fairways and small, subtle greens of Olympic … with driving and iron play so solid that it mitigated mediocre putting. —Jaime Diaz, Sports Illustrated, 8 Nov. 1993

Emergency funds are being provided to help mitigate the effects of the disaster.

medicines used to mitigate a patient's suffering

Recent Examples on the Web

The timing of the refinery fire, however, could somewhat mitigate the impact on gasoline prices — depending on how long the refinery remains out of commission. —George Avalos, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2025

Additionally, providing resources for the homeless population to address basic needs in a more dignified way could mitigate some of the behaviors that contribute to the area’s challenges. —Letters To The Editor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Feb. 2025

Airlines are expected to offer real-time updates when possible to mitigate traveler inconvenience. —Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 2 Feb. 2025

While duly mindful of mitigating factors, the film winds up softballing Autumn and her cohorts, avoiding hard or even straightforwardly context-setting questions while prioritizing their point of view. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 1 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin mitigatus, past participle of mitigare to soften, from mitis soft + -igare (akin to Latin agere to drive); akin to Old Irish moíth soft — more at agent

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

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Kids Definition

mitigate

verb

mit·​i·​gate ˈmit-ə-ˌgāt 

mitigated; mitigating

: to make less severe

mitigate a punishment

mitigation

ˌmit-ə-ˈgā-shən 

noun

Medical Definition

mitigate

transitive verb

mit·​i·​gate ˈmit-ə-ˌgāt 

mitigated; mitigating

: to make less severe or painful

Legal Definition

mitigate

verb

mit·​i·​gate ˈmi-tə-ˌgāt 

mitigated; mitigating

transitive verb

: to lessen or minimize the severity of

what actions the State took to mitigate the hazardous conditions

—Estate of Arrowwood v. State, 894 P.2d 642 (1995)

factors that mitigate the crime

see also mitigation of damages sense 1 compare aggravate

intransitive verb

: to lessen or minimize the severity of one's losses or damage

a failure to mitigate

mitigation

ˌmi-tə-ˈgā-shən 

noun

mitigative

ˈmi-tə-ˌgā-tiv 

adjective