What does "extenuation" mean?
The action of extenuating; extenuated condition.; The action or process of making or becoming thin; an instance of this; a shrunken condition; leanness, emaciation.
Extenuation
/ɪksˌtɛnjʊˈeɪʃən/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The action of extenuating; extenuated condition.; The action or process of making or becoming thin; an instance of this; a shrunken condition; leanness, emaciation.
- Grammar: extenuation is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: mitigation, palliation, abatement, abridgment.
- Useful contrasts: aggravation, exacerbation, intensification.
- Usage evidence: This mightily helpeth the extenuation of members.
How to use "extenuation"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "extenuation" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "extenuation" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "extenuation" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
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3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The action of extenuating; extenuated condition.; The action or process of making or becoming thin; an instance of this; a shrunken condition; leanness, emaciation. countable, uncountable
"This mightily helpeth the extenuation of members."
- 2 to act in such a way as to cause an offense to seem less serious wordnet
- 3 The action of extenuating; extenuated condition.; Making less dense; rarefaction. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"Winds proceed from extenuation of the Air, by the Sun."
- 4 a partial excuse to mitigate censure; an attempt to represent an offense as less serious than it appears by showing mitigating circumstances wordnet
- 5 The action of extenuating; extenuated condition.; The action or process of making slender or diminishing in bulk; an instance of this. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"All Dilatation is some degree of Extenuation."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 The action of extenuating; extenuated condition.; The action of making less or weak; and instance of this; a weakening, impoverishment. Also, mitigation (of blame or punishment). countable, obsolete, uncountable
"The saide citie is much decaid…not a little to the extenuacion of that part of this realme."
- 7 The action of extenuating; extenuated condition.; The action of representing (something) as slight and trifling; underrating; an instance of this, a plea to this end; a modification in terms. countable, uncountable
"Sometimes…wee humble ourselves lower than there is cause…And no lesse well doth God take these submisse extenuations of our selves."
- 8 The action of extenuating; extenuated condition.; The action of representing (something) as slight and trifling; underrating; an instance of this, a plea to this end; a modification in terms.; A figure in which a term is used which, in contrast with the more fitting term it supplants, understates or seeks to diminish the significance of something. countable, obsolete, rhetoric, uncountable
"We call him the Disabler or figure of Extenuation."
- 9 The action of extenuating; extenuated condition.; The action of lessening, or seeking to lessen, the guilt of (an offence or fault) by alleging partial excuses; and instance or means of doing this; a plea in mitigation of censure. countable, uncountable
"Extenuation, by which the Crime, that seemed great, is made lesse."
- 10 The action of extenuating; extenuated condition.; Thin garments. US, countable, humorous, in-plural, uncountable
"They were clad in silken extenuations from the throat to the feet."
Example
"This mightily helpeth the extenuation of members."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "extenuation"?
Common synonyms include: mitigation, palliation, abatement, abridgment, alleviation, allowance.
How do you use "extenuation" in a sentence?
This mightily helpeth the extenuation of members.
How do you pronounce "extenuation"?
Pronounced /ɪksˌtɛnjʊˈeɪʃən/.
Etymology
An adaptation of extenuātiōn-, the oblique stem of the Latin extenuātiō (“a thinning or diminishing”, “rarefaction”; rhetoric “a lessening”, “diminution”, “extenuation”), noun of action from extenuō (“I thin, reduce, or diminish”). Equivalent to extenuate + -ion. Compare the French exténuation.