Made to seem less serious or blameworthy; reduced in apparent severity through explanation or excuse.
Past tense and past participle of extenuate. The -ed ending indicates completed action or state, describing something that has already been made to appear less severe.
When you hear 'extenuating circumstances' in court, you're hearing a word that literally means 'thinned down'—judges are formally 'weakening' the severity of a crime to reduce punishment.
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