Definition of mitigate
mitigated
;mitigating
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Is mitigate against correct?
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.
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 of mitigate from the Web
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There are ways that states and communities can help mitigate the effects of Hurricane Matthew and future disasters like it on voting rights.
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There were no mitigating factors through which the right could dismiss this tragedy as being about racial dysfunction or economic malaise or whatever.
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(Paradoxically, this risk is mitigated by the government’s efforts to prevent some paratroopers from entering the race.)
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Back in the day, Oregon and Wisconsin often were partners in the Progressive Era reforms that mitigated the damage of our previous Gilded Age.
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After a trial in which prosecutors took great pains to present Mr. Liang’s conduct as criminal, Mr. Thompson, in his sentencing letter, struck a less harsh tone, listing several circumstances that mitigated recommending a prison term.
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Those farther-out farmlands and small towns have traditionally helped Republicans mitigate the dense Democratic vote just outside Washington.
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Any fears of office glut in the neighborhood have been at least mitigated by the speed with which old buildings are being converted to homes—the top 30 floors of the Woolworth Building, for example.
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In any case, the top kill is meant to stop the flow at its source and will do nothing to mitigate the oil already in the water.
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mitigate or militate?
Would it be correct to say, "His boyish appearance mitigated against his getting an early promotion"? Most usage commentators would say "no." They feel such examples demonstrate a long-standing confusion between mitigate and the look-alike militate. Those two words are not closely related etymologically (mitigate descends from the Latin verb mitigare, meaning "to soften," whereas militate traces to militare, another Latin verb that means "to engage in warfare"), nor are they particularly close in meaning (militate means "to have weight or effect"). The confusion between the two has existed for long enough that one commentator thinks "mitigate against" should be accepted as an idiomatic alternative to militate, but if you want to avoid criticism, you should keep mitigate and militate distinct.
Origin and Etymology of mitigate
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
Synonym Discussion of mitigate
MITIGATE Defined for English Language Learners
mitigate
playDefinition of mitigate for English Language Learners
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: to make (something) less severe, harmful, or painful
Medical Dictionary
mitigate
playMedical Definition of mitigate
mitigated
;mitigating
: to make less severe or painful
Law Dictionary
mitigate
playLegal Definition of mitigate
mitigated
mitigating
transitive verb
intransitive verb
Learn More about mitigate
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See words that rhyme with mitigate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for mitigate Spanish Central: Translation of mitigate Nglish: Translation of mitigate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of mitigate for Arabic speakers
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