Extenuating

C1 16+

Pronunciation: /ɪkˈstɛn.ju.eɪ.tɪŋ/

Definitions of extenuating

verb present participle of the verb 'extenuate'

Example Sentences

A1 She extenuated her mistake by apologizing profusely.

A2 He tried to extenuate his lateness by explaining the traffic jam.

B1 The lawyer attempted to extenuate the severity of the crime during the trial.

B2 The defendant's difficult childhood was used to extenuate his actions in court.

C1 The politician's team worked hard to extenuate the scandal and protect his reputation.

C2 The CEO's public apology was seen as an attempt to extenuate the company's unethical practices.

adjective serving to make a fault, offense, etc., appear less serious

Example Sentences

A1 The teacher understood that there were extenuating circumstances for why the student was late to class.

A2 She explained to her boss that there were extenuating factors that caused her to miss the deadline.

B1 The court took into consideration the extenuating circumstances surrounding the crime before sentencing the defendant.

B2 The company decided to grant the employee leave due to the extenuating circumstances of a family emergency.

C1 Despite the extenuating circumstances, the project was completed successfully and on time.

C2 The lawyer argued that the extenuating circumstances should be taken into account when determining the client's sentence.

Examples of extenuating in a Sentence

formal The judge took into consideration the extenuating circumstances before delivering the verdict.

informal I know you were late because of extenuating circumstances, so don't worry about it.

slang I had some extenuating stuff going on, so I couldn't make it to the party.

figurative Her smile was like an extenuating light in the darkness of his day.

Grammatical Forms of extenuating

past tense

extenuated

plural

extenuating

comparative

more extenuating

superlative

most extenuating

present tense

extenuates

future tense

will extenuate

perfect tense

has extenuated

continuous tense

is extenuating

singular

extenuating

positive degree

extenuating

infinitive

to extenuate

gerund

extenuating

participle

extenuated

Origin and Evolution of extenuating

First Known Use: 1400 year
Language of Origin: Latin
Story behind the word: The word 'extenuating' originated from the Latin word 'extenuare', which means to make thin or weak.
Evolution of the word: Originally used in the sense of making something appear less serious or severe, the word 'extenuating' has evolved to also convey the idea of providing excuses or justifications for a wrongdoing.