Noun: mitigation ,mi-ti'gey-shun
- The action of lessening in severity or intensity
"the object being control or mitigation of economic depressions";
- moderation
- To act in such a way as to cause an offence to seem less serious
"His lawyer attempted mitigation of the crime by citing the defendant's difficult childhood";
- extenuation, palliation
- 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 mitigation based on the client's difficult upbringing";
- extenuation
Derived forms: mitigations
Type of: alibi, decrease, diminution, exculpation, excuse, reduction, self-justification, step-down
Encyclopedia: Mitigation