Mitigate

medium

MIT-ih-gayt

verb

Definition

To make less severe, serious, or painful

Examples

The company took steps to mitigate the environmental damage.
Pain medication can help mitigate the symptoms.

Synonyms

alleviatelessenassuagetemper

Antonyms

aggravateworsenexacerbateintensify

Categories

GRE Tip

Mitigate is a medium-difficulty GRE word. On the GRE, you might see it paired with synonyms like "alleviate" or "lessen" in Sentence Equivalence questions. Look for contrast clues (however, despite, although) that signal the opposite meaning. Words like "aggravate".

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