MITIGATE

transitive verb (-gated; -gating) see: agent Date: 15th century to cause to become less harsh or hostile ; mollify , 2. to make less severe or painful ; alleviate , extenuate , see: relieve mitigation noun mitigative adjective mitigator noun mitigatory adjective Usage: Mitigate is sometimes used as an intransitive (followed by against) where militate might be expected. Even though Faulkner used it and one critic thinks it should be called an American idiom, it is usually considered a mistake.