extenuation
1
9.6
- noun
- /ɪkˌstɛnjuˈeɪʃən/
- Formal
:
atenuación
Examples
-
None of this, he supposed, could be extenuation for his offense.
Academic text (1999) -
And I was hopin' we could make an extenuation of it.
-
"I certainly think that such an offense is incapable of extenuation."
Academic text (1994) -
"He steps closer, eyeing my sausage, his hands spread wide in extenuation.
Fiction book (1995) -
l'll admit the charge and plead in extenuation my extreme youth.
-
"Addressing the suspicious habit of mind that can see in reticence only some form of extenuation, Norton was adamant that "there was nothing in Mr. Lowell's life to be concealed or excused.
Academic text (2001) -
For the mortal sins of its priests, for the monstrous evil of which they were guilty in collaborating with Nazi malefactors, the Church will bear an ugly blemish, one that no amount of extenuation or special pleading can erase.
Academic text (2011) -
The defendant's lawyer provided several points of extenuation to help reduce the sentence.
-
In his apology, he mentioned personal struggles as extenuation for his wrong behavior.
-
The teacher considered the student's illness as an extenuation for the late homework submission.
Synonyms
3
5.8
Giving reasons or excuses to make a wrong action seem less serious
To make a bad action seem less serious by giving reasons
Antonyms
720
1.3
An action that makes someone suffer for breaking a rule, like a fine or time in prison
How Mitigating
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Extenuation comes from the Latin verb extenuare, made of ex- 'out' and tenu- 'thin', and it originally meant 'to make thin'. So an extenuation is an excuse or explanation that 'thins' the weight of a fault, making it seem less serious.