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, 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

That means first establishing a potent incident response plan—one that allows for rapid detection, containment and mitigation of cyber attacks. —Shay Solomon, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection issued a consent order requiring the city ramp up odor mitigation efforts in November 2023. —James Wilkins, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2025

Rockfall scaling and mitigation along identified high risk zones. —Zach Urness, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2025

The Peña Boulevard study process will include public engagement, scoping, analysis of alternatives, environmental effects and possible mitigation. —Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 1 Apr. 2025

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