mitigate

mitigate — verb

1. to reduce how serious or harmful something is, especially when dealing with risk

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to reduce how serious or harmful something is, especially when dealing with risks, difficulties, or problems

例句

Careful planning can help mitigate the risks of starting a new business.

mitigate + risk — most common collocation

The worst effects of the flood were mitigated by the early warning system.

passive: be mitigated by [something]

同義詞
  • alleviate

    more clinical, often used for physical pain or suffering

  • lessen

    more general and less formal; works in everyday contexts

  • reduce

    very general, least formal; replace 'mitigate' when writing informally

  • ease

    more natural for physical discomfort or emotional distress

反義詞
  • aggravate

    make a problem or situation worse

  • intensify

    increase the severity or strength of something

文法句型

mitigate + noun phrase

用法筆記

Formal; most common in academic, legal, and professional writing. Often pairs with abstract nouns such as 'risk', 'impact', 'damage', 'concern', or 'effect'. For reducing an immediate physical pain or everyday annoyance, use 'ease' or 'relieve' instead.

常見錯誤

❌I took aspirin to mitigate my headache.
✅I took aspirin to ease my headache.
💡'mitigate' sounds overly formal for minor physical pain; use 'ease' or 'relieve'.
❌The medicine mitigated the disease.
✅The treatment helped mitigate the symptoms of the disease.
💡'mitigate' normally reduces the effects or severity of something, not the thing itself.