mitigate

verb

ˈmi-tə-ˌgāt How to pronounce mitigate (audio)
Definition of mitigatenext
as in to alleviate
to make more bearable or less severe this medicine should mitigate the pain until the strained muscle heals itself

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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How is the word mitigate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of mitigate are allay, alleviate, assuage, lighten, and relieve. While all these words mean "to make something less grievous," mitigate suggests a moderating or countering of the effect of something violent or painful.

the need to mitigate barbaric laws

Where would allay be a reasonable alternative to mitigate?

The synonyms allay and mitigate are sometimes interchangeable, but allay implies an effective calming or soothing of fears or alarms.

allayed their fears

When could alleviate be used to replace mitigate?

While in some cases nearly identical to mitigate, alleviate implies temporary or partial lessening of pain or distress.

the lotion alleviated the itching

When might assuage be a better fit than mitigate?

While the synonyms assuage and mitigate are close in meaning, assuage implies softening or sweetening what is harsh or disagreeable.

ocean breezes assuaged the intense heat

When would lighten be a good substitute for mitigate?

In some situations, the words lighten and mitigate are roughly equivalent. However, lighten implies reducing a burdensome or depressing weight.

good news would lighten our worries

When can relieve be used instead of mitigate?

The words relieve and mitigate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, relieve implies a lifting of enough of a burden to make it tolerable.

took an aspirin to relieve the pain

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mitigate Countries in Southeast Asia and Latin America were part of this trend during Trump’s first term when China tried to mitigate the impact of tariffs imposed at that time. —Nectar Gan, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2025 Protecting Pets From the Cold: When biting cold hits, a few simple precautions can help pet owners mitigate the risks to their animals. —The New York Times, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025 Keeping AGIs in virtual sandboxes with strict security and direct human oversight could help mitigate issues arising from misalignment. —Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 3 Apr. 2025 Devoting different parts of a model’s architecture to different kinds of knowledge helps mitigate catastrophic forgetting because new learnings can be incorporated while leaving existing parameters untouched. —Rob Toews, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mitigate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mitigate
  1. alleviate
  2. relieve
  3. help
  4. soothe
  5. ease
Verb
  • The surfeit of interested workers has not alleviated the labor shortage.
    — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Starting the hiring process doesn’t alleviate their workload in the interim.
    — Nolan Hout, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of alleviate
Verb
  • Rather than rising up and killing its former masters, Murderbot just goes about performing its security work, relieving the boredom by watching a lot of entertainment media.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Trump rejected a 90-day pause in tariffs set to take effect on Wednesday, a bit of rumor that briefly relieved agitated financial markets before it was promptly dismissed by the White House as fiction.
    — Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 8 Apr. 2025
Definition of relieve
Verb
  • Please help show my baby that other badass women are out there!
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2025
  • For example, whenever one of the kids had a spelling bee, everyone in the car would help recite the words.
    — Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of help
Verb
  • According to tradition, soaking in a hot bath infused with these therapeutic salts allows the magnesium and sulfur to penetrate the skin, soothing muscles, detoxing the body, and easing stress.
    — Alice Nardiotti, Vogue, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Cooling, calming, and tailor-made for sensitive skin, this mask drapes delicately across your face to deliver a serious hit of cica (Centella asiatica) and allantoin—soothing redness and dryness in minutes.
    — Annie Blackman, Allure, 10 Apr. 2025
Definition of soothe
Verb
  • In the Summer of 2021, following a 9-0 loss in a related Supreme Court case (Alston v. NCAA) and a wave of state laws prohibiting the NCAA’s enforcement of its NIL restrictions, the NCAA significantly eased its restrictions regarding athlete NIL activity.
    — Joe Sabin, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
  • Mobilizing the tissue throughout the day by rolling your foot on a massage, lacrosse, or tennis ball can also ease discomfort, as can self-massage and ice, Dr. Malek says.
    — Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 4 Apr. 2025
Definition of ease

Browse Nearby Words

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mitigate
mitigated
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Cite this Entry

“Mitigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mitigate. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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