- extenuation, mitigation, palliation - to act in such a way as to cause an offense to seem less serious
--1 is a kind of decrease, diminution, reduction, step-down
Derived form: verb mitigate1 - extenuation, mitigation - a partial excuse to mitigate censure; an attempt to represent an offense as less serious than it appears by showing mitigating circumstances
--2 is a kind of excuse, alibi, exculpation, self-justification
Derived forms: verb mitigate1, verb mitigate2