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mitigate

MIT-ih-gayt /ˈmɪtɪɡeɪt/

verbC1GRESATGMATTOEFLUPSC

FormalProfessional

To make something less severe, serious, or painful.

In project management, you mitigate risks by taking actions to reduce the probability or impact of a negative event.

The story behind the word. The word comes from the Latin 'mitis' (soft) and 'agere' (to do). To mitigate something is literally to 'make it soft'. It was originally used in a medical sense to describe making a disease less harsh.

Word relationships

alleviate: Alleviate is often used for physical pain or suffering, while mitigate is used for risks, impacts, or legal penalties.
assuage: Assuage is used for feelings like guilt or fear, making them less intense.

exacerbate: Exacerbate means to make a problem or bad situation worse.

Commonly confused with

militate: Militate means to work against something (e.g., 'his lack of experience militated against his success'); mitigate means to soften a blow.

Word family

mitigation (noun): The action of reducing the severity of something.
mitigating (adjective): Making something less severe (e.g., 'mitigating circumstances').

Collocations

mitigate risk
mitigate the impact
mitigate the effects
mitigate circumstances

Example sentences

"The government took steps to mitigate the effects of the crisis." Environmental Policy
"We can mitigate the risk of data loss by implementing a daily backup system." Risk Management

Memory hook

Mitigate sounds like 'Mighty Gate'—you build a gate to stop the 'mighty' flood from being so severe. Mitigate makes it mild.

When not to use

Do not confuse with 'militate' (to be a powerful factor in preventing something).

Fun facts

In law, 'mitigating circumstances' are facts that don't excuse a crime but might result in a lighter sentence.
The term 'mitigation' is a key part of the four stages of emergency management: Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery.