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

The task force will monitor conditions across the state and recommend mitigation efforts to Polis. —Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 19 Mar. 2026

Once mitigation efforts are taken into account, the net impact is expected to be $220 million in 2026, up from $213 million in 2025. —Gabrielle Fonrouge, CNBC, 17 Mar. 2026

Homewood’s Dixie Highway viaduct will be closed for at least three months while the Illinois Department of Transportation carries out flood mitigation repairs and resurfacing, village officials say. —Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026

Early estimates indicate that the VMT framework could add hundreds of thousands of dollars in new mitigation costs per housing unit. —Jeff Montejano, Oc Register, 15 Mar. 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