extenuate

verb

ex·​ten·​u·​ate ik-ˈsten-yə-ˌwāt How to pronounce extenuate (audio)
-yü-ˌāt
extenuated; extenuating

transitive verb

1
: to lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of (something, such as a fault or offense) by making partial excuses : mitigate
There is no economic analysis that can extenuate bigotry.Leon Wieseltier
… all the lies that society tells to justify its values and extenuate its conduct …Robert Penn Warren
see also extenuating
2
: to lessen the strength or effect of (something) : weaken
… it was true that he was an old friend and that … she felt a desire not to extenuate such ties.Henry James
3
a
archaic : to make light of
b
obsolete : disparage
4
archaic : to make thin or emaciated
extenuator noun
extenuatory adjective

Did you know?

Extenuate is most familiar in the phrase “extenuating circumstances,” which refers to situations or facts that provide a partial justification or excuse for something. The word extenuate can, however, also be used all on its own. Its most typical use is with the meaning “to lessen the strength or effect of something, such as a risk,” but it also has legal use closely related to the meaning of “extenuating circumstances”; to extenuate a crime, offense, etc., is to lessen or to try to lessen its seriousness or extent by making partial excuses. Extenuate didn’t get its start in this semantic territory, however. It was borrowed into English in the 1500s with a now-archaic meaning it took directly from its Latin forebear, extenuare: “to make light of; to treat as unimportant.” Extenuate is today mostly at home in technical and legal contexts, but it occasionally appears in general writing with what may be a developing meaning: “to prolong, worsen, or exaggerate.” This meaning, which is likely influenced by the words extend and accentuate, is not yet fully established.

Examples of extenuate in a Sentence

don't even try to extenuate their vandalism of the cemetery with the old refrain of “Boys will be boys”

Word History

Etymology

Latin extenuatus, past participle of extenuare, from ex- + tenuis thin — more at thin

First Known Use

1529, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Time Traveler
The first known use of extenuate was in 1529

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near extenuate

Cite this Entry

“Extenuate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extenuate. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

extenuate

verb
ex·​ten·​u·​ate ik-ˈsten-yə-ˌwāt How to pronounce extenuate (audio)
extenuated; extenuating
: to try to make less serious by partial excuses
extenuation
-ˌsten-yə-ˈwā-shən
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on extenuate

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!