Mitigated

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To reduce the intensity or harshness of an adverse condition while maintaining important aspects of it
2. To temper a challenging circumstance to make it easier to endure, thereby maintaining essential elements
3. Made a harmful or unpleasant situation less severe without completely removing its effects

Etymology: "Mitigated" is the past tense and past participle of "mitigate," which comes from Latin "mitigare," meaning "to make soft, ripe, or tame." The Latin verb was built from "mitis," meaning "gentle" or "mild," combined with "-igare," from "agere" in the sense "to do, make." So at its root the word is about softening something, which is still close to the sense of easing a harsh condition today. English borrowed the verb through Middle English "mitigaten," which at first meant "to relieve pain" or "to soothe." Medieval writers used it of physical troubles: swelling that subsided, or hemorrhoids that were eased. Its sense then widened to the mind, where it meant to placate or appease someone, before settling into the general idea of making something less severe.

Synonyms: alleviated, lessened, reduced, softened, moderated

Antonyms: exacerbated, intensified, aggravated, worsened