Definition of MITIGATED (original) (raw)
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
attempted to mitigate the offense
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
Choose the Right Synonym for mitigate
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.
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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
To mitigate these risks, businesses should use diverse, representative data and conduct regular audits to detect biases in AI models. —Partha Desarkar, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024 If voters approve Proposition 312 in the 2024 election, Arizona property owners could get refunds for expenses to mitigate the homeless crisis. —Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 24 Oct. 2024 Like before, Cloudflare managed to mitigate the new 4.2Tbps attack through the company’s autonomous DDoS protection services. —Michael Kan, PCMAG, 23 Oct. 2024 Blocking senders and callers that put out requests for money is one way to mitigate risk. —Jeanne Sahadi, CNN, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for mitigate 
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
Time Traveler
The first known use of mitigate was in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near mitigate
Cite this Entry
“Mitigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mitigate. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
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Last Updated: 27 Oct 2024 - Updated example sentences
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