Found 2 items, similar to Extenuation.
English → English (WordNet) Definition: extenuation extenuation n 1: a partial excuse to mitigate censure; an attempt to represent an offense as less serious than it appears by showing mitigating circumstances [syn: mitigation] 2: to act in such a way as to cause an offense to seem less serious [syn: mitigation, palliation]
English → English (gcide) Definition: Extenuation Extenuation \Ex*ten`u*a"tion\, n. [L. extenuatio: cf. F. ext['e]nuation.] The act of axtenuating or the state of being extenuated; the act of making thin, slender, or lean, or of palliating; diminishing, or lessening; palliation, as of a crime; mitigation, as of punishment. [1913 Webster] To listen . . . to every extenuation of what is evil. --I. Taylor. [1913 Webster]