extenuated
Partially excused, diminished
Extenuated describes something that has been made to seem less serious, severe, or blameworthy than it might otherwise appear.
It is the past tense and participle of extenuate, a verb most familiar from the legal phrase extenuating circumstances—conditions that partially excuse or lessen the gravity of an offense without fully justifying it.
His youth extenuated his reckless behavior in the eyes of the court.
The word can also mean physically thinned or weakened, though this sense is rare in modern use.
Made or became smaller
- reducedMade less in amount
- weakenedMade less capable
- decreasedBecame smaller in amount
- minimizedReduced to smallest extent
softened · moderated · tempered · mitigated · diluted · thinned · curtailed · abridged
Made less severe
- excusedReleased from duty
- justifiedShown to be right
- minimizedReduced to smallest extent
- downplayedMinimized the significance of
softened · qualified · rationalized · defended · pardoned · condoned · overlooked · forgiven
lessened
Made or became smaller
minimized · softened · moderated · tempered · mitigated · diluted · thinned · curtailed · abridged · lowered
palliated
Made less severe
downplayed · softened · qualified · rationalized · defended · pardoned · condoned · overlooked · forgiven · whitewashed
elongated
Stretched beyond usual dimensions
- lengthenedIncreased in extent
- extendedLengthened in time or space
- drawn-outExtended beyond normal duration
prolonged · thinned · slender · spindly · lanky · gaunt · emaciated · wasted · haggard · spare
extenuatedaggravated
Intensified or vexed
worsened · intensified · exacerbated · magnified · amplified
extenuatedunmitigated
Not diminished or moderated
inexcusable · unjustified · unpardonable · indefensible · condemned
- extenuating circumstanceCondition reducing culpability
- extenuating factors