EXTENUATE
extenuate, palliate, mitigate
(verb) lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of; “The circumstances extenuate the crime”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
extenuate (third-person singular simple present extenuates, present participle extenuating, simple past and past participle extenuated)
(transitive) To lessen; to palliate; to lessen or weaken the force of; to diminish the conception of, as crime, guilt, faults, ills, accusations, etc.
(archaic, transitive) To make thin or slender; to draw out so as to lessen the thickness.
(archaic, intransitive) To become thinner.
(obsolete) To lower or degrade; to detract from.
Synonyms
• (lessen; diminish): mitigate
Antonyms
• (lessen; diminish): aggravate
Source: Wiktionary
Ex*ten"u*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Extenuated(); p. pr. & vb. n. Extenuating().] Etym: [L. extenuatus, p. p. of extenuare to make thin, loosen, weaken; ex out + tenuare to make thin, tenuis thin. See Tenuity.]
1. To make thin or slender; to draw out so as to lessen the thickness. His body behind the head becomes broad, from whence it is again extenuated all the way to the tail. Grew.
2. To lessen; to palliate; to lessen or weaken the force of; to diminish the conception of, as crime, guilt, faults, ills, accusations, etc.; -- opposed to aggravate. But fortune there extenuates the crime. Dryden. Let us extenuate, conceal, adorn the unpleasing reality. I. Taylor.
3. To lower or degrade; to detract from. [Obs.] Who can extenuate thee Milton.
Syn.
– To palliate; to mitigate. See Palliate.
Ex*ten"u*ate, v. i.
Definition: To become thinner; to make excuses; to advance palliating considerations. Burke.
Ex*ten"u*ate, a. Etym: [L. extenuatus, p. p.]
Definition: Thin; slender. [Obs.] Huloet.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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