Noun: extenuation ik,ste-nyoo'ey-shun
- A partial excuse to mitigate censure; an attempt to represent an offence as less serious than it appears by showing mitigating circumstances
"The defendant's lawyer argued for extenuation based on the client's difficult upbringing";
- mitigation
- To act in such a way as to cause an offence to seem less serious
"His lawyer attempted extenuation of the crime by citing the defendant's difficult childhood";
- mitigation, palliation
Derived forms: extenuations
Type of: alibi, decrease, diminution, exculpation, excuse, reduction, self-justification, step-down