WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
mit•i•gate /ˈmɪtɪˌgeɪt/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object] -gat•ed, -gat•ing.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to lessen in force or intensity; make less severe:to mitigate the harshness of a punishment.
mit•i•gate
(mit′i gāt′),USA pronunciation v., -gat•ed, -gat•ing.
v.t.
v.i.
mit•i•ga•ble
(mit′i gə bəl),USA pronunciation adj.
mit′i•gat′ed•ly, adv.
mit′i•ga′tion, n.
mit′i•ga′tive, mit•i•ga•to•ry
(mit′i gə tôr′ē, -tōr′ē),USA pronunciation adj.
mit′i•ga′tor, n.
v.t.
- to lessen in force or intensity, as wrath, grief, harshness, or pain; moderate.
- to make less severe:to mitigate a punishment.
- to make (a person, one's state of mind, disposition, etc.) milder or more gentle;
mollify;
appease.
v.i.
- to become milder;
lessen in severity.
- Latin mītigātus (past participle of mītigāre to calm, soften, soothe), equivalent. to mīt(is) mild, soft, gentle + -ig- (combining form of agere to do, cause to do, make) + -ātus -ate1
- late Middle English mitigaten 1375–1425
mit′i•ga′tion, n.
- Mitigate, whose central meaning is "to lessen'' or "make less severe,'' is sometimes confused with militate, "to have effect or influence,'' in the phrase mitigate against: This criticism in no way militates (not mitigates) against your going ahead with your research. Although this use of mitigate occasionally occurs in edited writing, it is rare and is widely regarded as an error.
'mitigation' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):