extenuating
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Extenuate \Ex*ten"u*ate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Extenuated}; p.
pr. & vb. n. {Extenuating}.] [L. extenuatus, p. p. of
extenuare to make thin, loosen, weaken; ex out + tenuare to
make thin, tenuis thin. See {Tenuity}.]
1. To make thin or slender; to draw out so as to lessen the
thickness.
[1913 Webster]
His body behind the head becomes broad, from whence
it is again extenuated all the way to the tail.
--Grew.
[1913 Webster]
2. To lessen; to palliate; to lessen or weaken the force of;
to diminish the conception of, as crime, guilt, faults,
ills, accusations, etc.; -- opposed to {aggravate}.
[1913 Webster]
But fortune there extenuates the crime. --Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
Let us extenuate, conceal, adorn the unpleasing
reality. --I. Taylor.
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3. To lower or degrade; to detract from. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
Who can extenuate thee? --Milton.
Syn: To palliate; to mitigate. See {Palliate}.
[1913 Webster]
from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
33 Moby Thesaurus words for "extenuating":
altering, apologetic, assuasive, bounding, diminishing, excusatory,
excusing, extenuative, extenuatory, justificatory, justifying,
lenitive, lessening, limitative, limiting, mitigating, mitigative,
mitigatory, modificatory, modifying, modulatory, palliative,
qualificative, qualificatory, qualifying, refuting, rehabilitative,
restricting, restrictive, softening, tempering, vindicative,
vindicatory
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