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, extensive, 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

In our coastal district, climate change mitigation is critical. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026

Since 2022, when land movement started to pick up, the city has spent about $61 million on landslide mitigation, which Mihranian said has decimated its capital improvement budget. —Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026

The mitigation plan is considered part of Christensen’s personnel files and is confidential, Ames said. —Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 7 May 2026

There are also provisions in the proposal that say PROVA would work with the city if mitigations were needed because of odor. —R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mitigation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

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