1
[ verb ] lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of

Synonyms

mitigate palliate

Examples

"The circumstances extenuate the crime"

Used in print

(Jaroslav Pelikan, The Shape of Death: life, death and...)

Because he interprets the primitive state of man as one of mere potentiality or capacity and believes that Adam and Eve were created as children , Irenaeus often seems inclined to extenuate their disobedience as being `` due , no_doubt , to carelessness , but still wicked '' .

(John Michael Ray, "Rhode Island's Reactions...)

The editor of the Newport_Advertiser could discover no evidence of extenuating circumstances in the Brown trial which would warrant making an exception to the infliction of capital_punishment .

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