Standard Lemma guide

mitigation

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /mɪtɪˈɡeɪʃən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: M IH2 T IH0 G EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A reduction or decrease of something harmful or unpleasant.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the action of lessening in severity or intensity

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the object being control or moderation of economic depressions

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: moderation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: decrease, diminution, reduction, step-down

Narrower terms: abatement

3

noun

Meaning 3

to act in such a way as to cause an offense to seem less serious

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: extenuation, palliation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: decrease, diminution, reduction, step-down

4

noun

Meaning 4

a partial excuse to mitigate censure; an attempt to represent an offense as less serious than it appears by showing mitigating circumstances

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: extenuation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: excuse, alibi, exculpation, self-justification

History

Etymology

From Middle French mitigation, from Latin mitigatio.

Across languages

Translations

37 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: تخفيف — reduction of something harmful
  • Bengali: আসান (aśan) — reduction of something harmful
  • Bulgarian: облекчение (oblekčenie) — reduction of something harmful
  • Bulgarian: уталожване (utaložvane) — reduction of something harmful
  • Catalan: mitigació — reduction of something harmful
  • Dutch: opluchting — reduction of something harmful
  • Dutch: verlichting — reduction of something harmful
  • Finnish: lieventäminen — reduction of something harmful
  • Finnish: lievennys — reduction of something harmful
  • Finnish: hillitseminen — reduction of something harmful
  • French: soulagement — reduction of something harmful
  • Georgian: შემსუბუქება (šemsubukeba) — reduction of something harmful
  • Georgian: განელება (ganeleba) — reduction of something harmful
  • German: Erleichterung — reduction of something harmful
  • German: Abmilderung — reduction of something harmful
  • Indonesian: mitigasi — reduction of something harmful
  • Irish: maolú — reduction of something harmful
  • Italian: riduzione — reduction of something harmful
  • Italian: contenimento — reduction of something harmful
  • Italian: attenuazione — reduction of something harmful
  • Portuguese: mitigação — reduction of something harmful
  • Russian: смягчение (smjaxčenije) — reduction of something harmful
  • Russian: уменьшение (umenʹšenije) — reduction of something harmful
  • Russian: облегчение (oblexčenije) — reduction of something harmful
  • Serbo-Croatian: ublažavanje — reduction of something harmful
  • Serbo-Croatian: taženje — reduction of something harmful
  • Serbo-Croatian: utaživanje — reduction of something harmful
  • Serbo-Croatian: olakšavanje — reduction of something harmful
  • Serbo-Croatian: olakšanje — reduction of something harmful
  • Serbo-Croatian: mitigacija — reduction of something harmful
  • Spanish: mitigación — reduction of something harmful
  • Swedish: förmildrande omständighet — reduction of something harmful
  • Swedish: lindring — reduction of something harmful
  • Urdu: تخفیف — reduction of something harmful
  • Vietnamese: sự làm nhẹ — reduction of something harmful
  • Vietnamese: sự làm dịu — reduction of something harmful
  • Vietnamese: sự giảm thiểu — reduction of something harmful
Real reading context

mitigation in complete knowledge articles