mitigate

IPA/ˈmɪtɪɡeɪt/
KK[mˈɪtəɡˌet]IPA/ˈmɪtɪɡeɪt/

mitigate — verb

  • mitigatepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • mitigateshe / she / it
  • mitigatedpast simple
  • mitigating-ing form

1. to reduce how serious or harmful something is, especially when dealing with risk

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to reduce how serious or harmful something is, especially when dealing with risks, difficulties, or problems

Example

Careful planning can help mitigate the risks of starting a new business.

mitigate + risk — most common collocation

The worst effects of the flood were mitigated by the early warning system.

passive: be mitigated by [something]

Common collocations
  • mitigate the risk
  • mitigate the impact
  • mitigate the damage
  • mitigate the effects
  • mitigate concerns
  • mitigate losses
Synonyms
  • alleviate

    more clinical, often used for physical pain or suffering

  • lessen

    more general and less formal; works in everyday contexts

  • reduce

    very general, least formal; replace 'mitigate' when writing informally

  • ease

    more natural for physical discomfort or emotional distress

Antonyms
  • aggravate

    make a problem or situation worse

  • intensify

    increase the severity or strength of something

Grammar Patterns

mitigate + noun phrase

Usage Note

Formal; most common in academic, legal, and professional writing. Often pairs with abstract nouns such as 'risk', 'impact', 'damage', 'concern', or 'effect'. For reducing an immediate physical pain or everyday annoyance, use 'ease' or 'relieve' instead.

Common Mistakes

I took aspirin to mitigate my headache.
I took aspirin to ease my headache.
'mitigate' sounds overly formal for minor physical pain; use 'ease' or 'relieve'.
The medicine mitigated the disease.
The treatment helped mitigate the symptoms of the disease.
'mitigate' normally reduces the effects or severity of something, not the thing itself.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five words describe making something less bad, but they differ in formality and scope. 'Mitigate' is the most formal and is typical of academic, legal, or professional writing (e.g. 'mitigate the risk of flooding'). 'Alleviate' is slightly more clinical, often applied to pain or suffering ('alleviate back pain'). 'Lessen' and 'reduce' are the most general — 'lessen' emphasises degree of decrease, while 'reduce' focuses on bringing something down in size or amount. 'Ameliorate' is very formal and implies making conditions noticeably better ('ameliorate living standards'). 'Ease' is the most natural for everyday situations involving discomfort or difficulty ('ease a headache'). In conversation, choose 'ease', 'lessen', or 'reduce'; in formal reports, 'mitigate' or 'ameliorate'.

alleviate ↗lessen ↗reduce ↗ameliorate ↗ease ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • mitigation measure
  • mitigation strategy
  • risk mitigation

Adverbs

  • partially mitigate
  • significantly mitigate
  • greatly mitigate

Phrases

  • aim to mitigate
  • help mitigate
  • designed to mitigate

Prepositions

  • mitigate against

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'mitigare' — 'mitis' (gentle) + 'agere' (to do, make) — literally meaning 'to make gentle or soft'. The word entered English in the 1400s through Middle French, first used to describe soothing physical pain and later extended to reducing the severity of any harmful situation.