THE WORDCRAFT DEFINITION DICTIONARY
extenuating
adjective
Making a fault or difficult situation seem less serious or blameworthy.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
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Examples in context
The panel considered the extenuating circumstances before deciding.
A design contest discovered that one entrant had submitted another person's work under her own name. The panel considered her culpable because she had knowingly claimed authorship. A separate entrant had missed the deadline during a documented failure of the submission system. Those extenuating circumstances deserved a different review.
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Related meanings
Related words can differ in tone and context; they are not always interchangeable.
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