Counteracted

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To have performed an action that offsets or diminishes another effect or outcome
2. To have engaged in activities that neutralize or lessen the influence of something adverse or contrary
3. Performed actions that reduce or balance out another influence

Etymology: "Counteracted" is the past tense of "counteract," and the verb is a straightforward compound: "counter-" joined to "act." The "act" part comes from Latin "actus," meaning "a doing" or "a deed," built from "agere," "to drive, do." English took "act" through Old French "act" and Middle English "acte," so the core idea of the word is simply to do something. The prefix "counter-" has a more tangled path. It comes from Latin "contra," "against," which passed through Old French "contre" and Anglo-Norman "countre" before reaching Middle English as "counter-." The Latin root ultimately traces back to a Proto-Italic form built on "kom," meaning "with" or "together," and a comparative suffix, which gave the sense of something set face to face with something else. Put together, "counteract" means to act against, so "counteracted" describes an action that pushes back against another force, reducing or balancing its effect.

Synonyms: neutralized, offset, countered, mitigated, reduced

Antonyms: aggravated, intensified, exacerbated, worsened, amplified