Extenuate

To lessen the seriousness of a situation or a fault by providing excuses or justifications. It involves presenting circumstances that make a behavior or outcome appear less blameworthy, often by highlighting mitigating factors. The act of extenuating attempts to diminish the culpability of an individual or to soften the negative impact of an event, considering the context and surrounding circumstances to understand the underlying influences. This could involve showing a reduced level of intent or a greater degree of duress than first realised.

Extenuate meaning with examples

• The lawyer argued to extenuate his client's actions, highlighting the years of abuse the defendant suffered, which the lawyer hoped would sway the jury's judgement. The plea was designed to lessen the perceived malice of the crime by explaining the defendant's past experiences. The defence's goal was to explain the client's behavior within the context of their troubled upbringing and emotional distress.
• The CEO tried to extenuate the company's poor performance by citing the unprecedented global economic downturn. He pointed out that the financial difficulties were not solely due to internal mismanagement but also due to wider market instability. By referring to external pressures, the CEO hoped to make the impact of the lost revenue seem less harsh to stakeholders and investors.
• The student attempted to extenuate his late submission of the assignment by explaining that he had been caring for a sick family member. He provided the teacher with evidence of the family members sickness, seeking to demonstrate that the disruption was genuine. By explaining these unusual circumstances he hoped to be awarded more leniency.
• The detective's report sought to extenuate the suspect's involvement in the crime by showing their only involvement was under duress from armed men. By emphasizing the threat and the individual's lack of free will in the matter, the report attempted to show the true culprit. The detectives strategy was to lessen the culpability of the suspect based on the events that took place at the time.
• The employee attempted to extenuate the outburst he had during the meeting by highlighting the intense pressure he had been experiencing. The employee stated the extra workload on him was immense and made it difficult for him to keep calm. He wanted his actions to be viewed with understanding due to the stresses he was under.