mitigation
Americannoun
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the act of mitigating, or lessening the force or intensity of something unpleasant, as wrath, pain, grief, or extreme circumstances.
Social support is the most important factor in the mitigation of stress among adolescents.
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the act of making a condition or consequence less severe.
the mitigation of a punishment.
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the act of alleviating harmful or dangerous conditions or of reducing the harm inflicted by them.
radon mitigation;
mitigation of climate change;
aircraft noise mitigation.
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the process of becoming milder, gentler, or less severe.
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a mitigating circumstance, event, or consequence.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of mitigation
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Anglo-French, Middle French mitigacion, from Latin mitigātiōn-, stem of mitigātiō, equivalent to mitigāt(us), past participle of mitigāre “to calm, soften, soothe” + -iō -ion ( def. ); see mitigate ( def. )
Explanation
Mitigation is the act of lessening or easing the harshness of a punishment, a fine, or someone's pain. In the legal world, a lawyer might ask a judge for mitigation of a particularly harsh sentence. Mitigation is the noun form of the verb mitigate, which means "to lessen in severity." After a natural disaster, the government might offer mitigation, in the form of aid, to ease people’s suffering. If someone tries to make an offense seem less serious by offering an excuse, that's also mitigation. If you miss your curfew, you might state in mitigation that you came home late because you were helping an old lady cross the street.
Vocabulary lists containing mitigation
This Week in Words: September 15 - 21, 2018
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Earth Science - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Bridgestock said the next step is identifying which mining regions are most at risk, so mitigation efforts can be targeted where they matter most.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
And in 2024, near the peak of the sun’s current cycle, solar storm Gannon forced New Zealand power-grid operators to activate their mitigation strategy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
That incident, along with a New York Times investigation into deaths from U.S. airstrikes, spurred the adoption of the civilian harm mitigation and response action plan in 2022.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
The measure “emphasizes education, defensible-space assistance, and non-punitive mitigation as preferred first steps,” according to a statement by Barger.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
The court was then adjourned until the following day, when I would have a chance to address the court in what is known as the plea in mitigation before the magistrate gave his sentence.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Drug approval, product safety, and nuclear oversight require regulators to have a detailed understanding of hazards and mitigations beforehand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
The current demand bump is likely due to some demand destruction and demand mitigations in place with the rising prices at the pump, Cinquegrana said.
From MarketWatch ● May 5, 2026
Or were mitigations found to address the concerns?
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
The health board says it has put mitigations, including bespoke cleaning regimes and other infection control measures, in place to reduce risks.
From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2026
The only mitigations of the horrors of prison life were the presence of his devoted wife and his books.
From The White Doe The Fate of Virginia Dare by Cotten, Sallie Southall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.