mitigate
to make something less harmful (to improve)
TRANSLATION
mitigate = etwas lindern, mildern oder abschwächen --- GOOGLE INDEX mitigate: approximately 4,500,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Owning a home can be expensive, but with some regular checkups, you can MITIGATE that cost.
(US News & World Report magazine)
---
People In India have been helped to move to so-called "climate smart'' technology, trying to MITIGATE the impact changing weather patterns are having.
(BBC News)
(US News & World Report magazine)
---
People In India have been helped to move to so-called "climate smart'' technology, trying to MITIGATE the impact changing weather patterns are having.
(BBC News)
Did you
know?
mitigate
verb
(noun form = mitigation)
- to make something less harmful, unpleasant or bad
(Cambridge Dictionary)
---
While it is sometimes used in everyday conversation, mitigate is a somewhat formal verb that derives from the Latin mitigatus (past participle of mitigare), to "soften, make tender, ripen, mellow, tame," and in a figurative sense to "make mild or gentle, pacify, soothe."
Ultimately it stems from "mitis" (gentle, soft) plus the root of agere (do, make, act), which add up to "soften." It is often used with words that indicate a harmful outcome, effect, impact or risk. Here are a few common examples of how it might be utilized:
- Researchers are debating whether e-cigarettes help mitigate the risk of lung cancer in smokers.
- The residents of Mallorca are calling on their government to mitigate the effects of party tourism on the island.
- Every country should do its part to mitigate the impact of climate change.
- The company has developed an innovative solution aimed at mitigating the influx of spam in our e-mail inboxes.
Usage note: mitigate is sometimes wrongly used where "militate" is meant, such as in "His behaviour militates against his chances for promotion." Militate is used in the sense of "weighing against" something.
---
SYNONYMS
abate, allay, assuage, blunt, ease, lessen, palliate, reduce, relieve, soften, temper
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"There are many ways homeowners can mitigate rising energy costs."
verb
(noun form = mitigation)
- to make something less harmful, unpleasant or bad
(Cambridge Dictionary)
---
While it is sometimes used in everyday conversation, mitigate is a somewhat formal verb that derives from the Latin mitigatus (past participle of mitigare), to "soften, make tender, ripen, mellow, tame," and in a figurative sense to "make mild or gentle, pacify, soothe."
Ultimately it stems from "mitis" (gentle, soft) plus the root of agere (do, make, act), which add up to "soften." It is often used with words that indicate a harmful outcome, effect, impact or risk. Here are a few common examples of how it might be utilized:
- Researchers are debating whether e-cigarettes help mitigate the risk of lung cancer in smokers.
- The residents of Mallorca are calling on their government to mitigate the effects of party tourism on the island.
- Every country should do its part to mitigate the impact of climate change.
- The company has developed an innovative solution aimed at mitigating the influx of spam in our e-mail inboxes.
Usage note: mitigate is sometimes wrongly used where "militate" is meant, such as in "His behaviour militates against his chances for promotion." Militate is used in the sense of "weighing against" something.
---
SYNONYMS
abate, allay, assuage, blunt, ease, lessen, palliate, reduce, relieve, soften, temper
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"There are many ways homeowners can mitigate rising energy costs."
