extenuation
/ɪkˌsten.juˈeɪ.ʃən/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪkˌsten.juˈeɪ.ʃən/ (ame, ipa) · /ik-ˌsten-yə-ˈwā-shən -yü-ˈā-/ (ame, mw)
extenuation — noun
- extenuationsingular
- extenuationsplural
1. the action of offering reasons that make a wrong or offence appear less serious,
the action of offering reasons that make a wrong or offence appear less serious, or the result of being judged less harshly because such reasons were accepted.
In extenuation of his late return, Felix explained that the trains had stopped.
pattern: in extenuation of + noun phrase
The lawyer offered the boy's young age and home troubles as points of extenuation.
collocation: points of extenuation
Élise had nothing to say in extenuation when the manager found the missing files in her drawer.
By way of extenuation, Gabriel pointed out that he had worked alone for three straight nights.
The judge accepted the doctor's exhaustion as a matter of extenuation but still issued a warning.
- mitigation
near-synonym, slightly broader; covers reducing severity of penalties as well as blame, more common in modern legal writing
- palliation
very formal and rare; emphasises the act of softening rather than the reasons offered
- excuse
everyday word; an 'excuse' can stand alone, while 'extenuation' is almost always part of a fixed phrase in formal contexts
- aggravation
legal opposite — factors that make an offence appear more serious
- condemnation
the harsh judgement that extenuation tries to lessen
文法句型
in extenuation of + noun
by way of extenuation
用法筆記
Almost always uncountable and used inside fixed phrases — most commonly 'in extenuation (of)' and 'by way of extenuation'. Subject of the wrong act is human; the reasons offered are usually circumstantial (age, illness, pressure, ignorance), not justifications of the act itself.