extenuation
/ɪkˌsten.juˈeɪ.ʃən/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪkˌsten.juˈeɪ.ʃən/ (ame, ipa) · /ik-ˌsten-yə-ˈwā-shən -yü-ˈā-/ (ame, mw)
extenuation — 名詞
- extenuationsingular
- extenuationsplural
1. the action of offering reasons that make a wrong or offence appear less serious,
減罪理由
為過錯提出讓罪責看似較輕的理由
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.
Felix 解釋說火車停駛了，以此作為他遲歸的減罪理由。
pattern: in extenuation of + noun phrase
The lawyer offered the boy's young age and home troubles as points of extenuation.
律師提出男孩年紀尚小、家中又有問題，作為減罪理由的依據。
collocation: points of extenuation
Élise had nothing to say in extenuation when the manager found the missing files in her drawer.
經理在 Élise 的抽屜裡找到遺失的檔案時，她對此說不出任何減罪的話。
By way of extenuation, Gabriel pointed out that he had worked alone for three straight nights.
Gabriel 為自己辯解，指出他已連續三晚獨自工作，希望能獲得從輕看待。
The judge accepted the doctor's exhaustion as a matter of extenuation but still issued a warning.
法官接受醫師過度疲勞為減罪的因素，但仍對他發出警告。
- 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.