extenuateverb [ T ]
uk/ɪkˈsten.ju.eɪt/us/ɪkˈsten.ju.eɪt/formalto cause a wrong act to be judged less seriously by giving reasons for it:
He was unable to say anything that might have extenuated his behaviour.
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Defining & explaining
- (do you) see what I mean? idiom
- account (to sb) for sth
- accountable
- cast
- clarify
- convey
- descriptive
- every picture tells a story idiom
- evocative
- evoke
- explicable
- explicate
- expound
- fill
- get sth across
- justify
- mean
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- schematic
- that is to say ... idiom
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extenuating
adjective [ before noun ] uk/ɪkˈsten.ju.eɪ.tɪŋ/us/ɪkˈsten.ju.eɪ.t̬ɪŋ/formal
She was found guilty of theft, but because of extenuating circumstances (= a situation which made her crime seem less serious) was not sent to prison.
extenuation
noun [ U ] uk/ɪkˌsten.juˈeɪ.ʃən/us/ɪkˌsten.juˈeɪ.ʃən/formal
Her plea of ignorance of the law in extenuation of (= as an excuse for) her crime was not accepted.