---

• v  lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
  The circumstances extenuate the crime

• Although Carl feigned madness, his unsound mind did not and will not extenuate his crime.
• That Dan was under the influence of liquor does not in any way extenuate his unacceptable behavior.
• Seemingly the rash students were bent upon egging Prime Minister Velja Vukitchevitch of Jugoslavia into a suicidal war with Italy; but circumstances were not lacking to extenuate .

• palliate
• mitigate

Quotes

---

• Eric Foner in CNN
  Looking to understand Islam does not extenuate any more than if you look at the origins of Nazism and the rise of Hitler, and the reasons that people supported Hitler,says Columbia University history professor Eric Foner. "Is that...