Extenuating

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  extenuating \extenuating\ adj.
     serving or tending to reduce the severity of guilt or
     blameworthiness; as, extenuating circumstances.
  
     Syn: mitigating.
          [WordNet 1.5]



From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Extenuate \Ex*ten"u*ate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Extenuated}; p.
     pr. & vb. n. {Extenuating}.] [L. extenuatus, p. p. of
     extenuare to make thin, loosen, weaken; ex out + tenuare to
     make thin, tenuis thin. See {Tenuity}.]
     1. To make thin or slender; to draw out so as to lessen the
        thickness.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              His body behind the head becomes broad, from whence
              it is again extenuated all the way to the tail.
                                                    --Grew.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To lessen; to palliate; to lessen or weaken the force of;
        to diminish the conception of, as crime, guilt, faults,
        ills, accusations, etc.; -- opposed to {aggravate}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              But fortune there extenuates the crime. --Dryden.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Let us extenuate, conceal, adorn the unpleasing
              reality.                              --I. Taylor.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. To lower or degrade; to detract from. [Obs.]
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Who can extenuate thee?               --Milton.
  
     Syn: To palliate; to mitigate. See {Palliate}.
          [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  extenuating
       adj : partially excusing or justifying; "extenuating
             circumstances"

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  33 Moby Thesaurus words for "extenuating":
     altering, apologetic, assuasive, bounding, diminishing, excusatory,
     excusing, extenuative, extenuatory, justificatory, justifying,
     lenitive, lessening, limitative, limiting, mitigating, mitigative,
     mitigatory, modificatory, modifying, modulatory, palliative,
     qualificative, qualificatory, qualifying, refuting, rehabilitative,
     restricting, restrictive, softening, tempering, vindicative,
     vindicatory