extenuate[verb]Synonyms: thin, attenuate, wiredraw, palliate, blanch (over), gloss (over), gloze (over), sugarcoat, varnish, veneer, white, whiten, whitewash
Contrasted words: aggravate, enhance, heighten
Related Idioms: put a gloss on (
or upon
or over), put a good face upon
Related Words: mitigate,
moderate,
qualify,
temper,
explain,
justify,
rationalize,
apologize [TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲
extenuate verb trans. [ɪk'stɛnjʊeɪt, ɛk-] Pa. pple
-ated, (earlier)
-ate.
LME.[Latin extenuat- pa. ppl stem of extenuare thin, reduce, diminish, formed as EX-1 1 + tenuis thin: see -ATE3.]1. Make (a person, the body, etc.) thin; emaciate.
arch. LME.2. State at a low figure; disparage the magnitude or importance of; underrate.
arch. E16.b. Treat (a crime, a fault, guilt) as of trifling importance;
esp. (try to) lessen the seeming seriousness of (a crime etc.) by partial excuse; (of a circumstance) lessen the guilt of (a crime etc.).
L16.■ B. Bainbridge The prisoner's age and previous good character were extenuating circumstances.c. Plead partial excuses for, try to justify.
M18.■ A. Radcliffe She..endeavoured to extenuate the conduct of Madame La Motte.3. Diminish in size, number, or amount; lessen (a quality etc.) in degree; mitigate (a law).
M16-L18.4. Thin out in consistency, make less dense. Now
rare or
obsolete.
M16.5. Thin out (hair); make thin or narrow; beat (metal) into thin plates, draw into fine wire.
M16-L17.6. Disparage (a person, action, attribute, etc.); diminish in honour.
E17-E18. ■ extenuatingly adverb in an extenuating manner
L19. ■ extenuative adjective & noun (a thing) tending to extenuate
L16. ■ extenuator noun M18. ■ extenuatory adjective E19. [TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲