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Noun: extenuation  ik,ste-nyoo'ey-shun
  1. A partial excuse to mitigate censure; an attempt to represent an offence as less serious than it appears by showing mitigating circumstances
    - mitigation
     
  2. To act in such a way as to cause an offence to seem less serious
    - mitigation, palliation

Derived forms: extenuations

Type of: alibi, decrease, diminution, exculpation, excuse, reduction, self-justification, step-down