mitigation

noun

mit·​i·​ga·​tion ˌmi-tə-ˈgā-shən 

plural mitigations

: the act of mitigating something or the state of being mitigated : the process or result of making something less severe, dangerous, painful, harsh, extensive, or damaging

mitigation of suffering

mitigation of punishment

There was, in sum, a period during the Cold War … when a mitigation of the Cold War, including a renegotiation of some of its most troublesome tensions, was possible or even probable.

—John Lukacs

Examples of mitigation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Sound mitigation measures — including berms and acoustic treatment — would be incorporated to control noise levels, and exterior lighting would be shielded and directed downward to prevent glare or spillover into surrounding properties. —Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 30 Apr. 2026

Individual distributors provide useful mitigation guidance, as does the post by Schrijvershof linked above. —Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026

Hadwick listed her priorities as suspending the state’s gas tax and increasing state spending on wildfire mitigation and fire education prevention programs. —William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2026

Heaton said residents have been asked to pay thousands of dollars for home-hardening retrofits, and a sizable chunk of their monthly utility bills pays for wildfire mitigation activities. —Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mitigation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Medical Definition

mitigation

noun

mit·​i·​ga·​tion ˌmit-ə-ˈgā-shən 

1

: the act of mitigating or state of being mitigated

the cure, prevention, or mitigation of disease

—Encyclopedia Americana

2

: something that mitigates

a large number of drugs and mitigations … at the clinic

—The Journal of the American Medical Association