extenuates
Makes less severe
Extenuates means makes something seem less serious or severe, typically wrongdoing or fault.
To extenuate is to offer partial justification or mitigating circumstances: Nothing extenuates his betrayal, but his difficult childhood explains some of it.
The word appears most often in its adjective form: extenuating circumstances.
mitigate
Make less severe
palliate · soften · temper · moderate · ease · relieve · lighten · assuage · minimize · excuse
severity modification
extenuatesaggravates
Makes more severe
exacerbates · worsens · intensifies · magnifies · compounds
emphasis and magnification
extenuatesmagnifies
Increases perceived size
amplifies · emphasizes · accentuates · highlights · underscores
- extenuating circumstanceCondition reducing culpability
- extenuating factors