extenuate

Nothing can extenuate the horror of acts he spent his adult life trying to avoid.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2022

In my initial salvo, I pointed out that Yglesias had minimized the harm of copyright infringement with a rationale that could extenuate theft of any kind.

From Slate ● Feb. 2, 2012

Exceptionalism can be a dangerous faith because of how much it can extenuate and excuse.

From Time ● Feb. 4, 2010

He told them with evident regret that pity for the drugged and passion-crazed chauffeur could not extenuate the crime of murder, nor could repugnance for "Rats'" wife count properly against her at this trial.

From Time Magazine Archive

Pall′iātive, serving to extenuate: mitigating.—n. that which lessens pain, disease, &c.—adj.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various

“Prince is painfully removed from the youth culture in which he’s participating, which only extenuates the project’s problems,” it stated.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 18, 2015

Conscious of her own imperfections, she never justifies her faults, and seldom extenuates them.

From Coelebs In Search of a Wife by Hannah More

It does not exactly prevent sin; it extenuates instead the painful consequences. 

From Fables by Robert Louis Stevenson

Constitute a sin it may, but consider yourself, Grigory Vassilyevitch, that it only extenuates it, if it does constitute.

From The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

It does not exactly prevent sin; it extenuates instead the painful consequences.

From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson, Volume XXI by Robert Louis Stevenson

Hooker’s problems have been particularly extenuated and traumatic, especially for a vaulter who had the skill and composure to set an Olympic record of 19-6½ at the 2008 Beijing Games.

From New York Times ● Aug. 8, 2012

I have not extenuated his faults, to the best of my knowledge.

From A Sketch of the Life and Labors of George Whitefield by John Charles Ryle

In reply, I can only say that I have nothing extenuated, and set down nought in malice.

From Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism With an Essay on Baal Worship, On The Assyrian Sacred "Grove," And Other by Thomas Inman

There was evident cause of embarrassment and something to be explained and extenuated, yet everybody crowded around Wallace, and nobody seemed to care to listen to them.

From Harper's Round Table, September 3, 1895 by Various

His doings are all favorably regarded; and while his capacity is extolled, even his shortcomings are extenuated.

From The Martins Of Cro' Martin, Vol. I (of II) by Charles James Lever

The animal welfare charity said the numbers and living conditions of the dogs, discovered at an undisclosed location in the UK, "had rapidly grown out of control amid extenuating family circumstances".

From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026

“The bottom line is: If consumers have jobs, barring extenuating circumstances, they will continue to spend money and pay their bills.”

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 11, 2025

“The one thing I can tell you is that everyone that’s ever worked for me has always gotten paid. Obviously, the circumstances here are a little extenuating, but yes, everybody will be paid eventually.”

From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2024

Even in extreme, extenuating circumstances, it is unlikely to be more than twice that.

From New York Times ● Dec. 15, 2023

He wanted to plead his friend’s case, explain the extenuating circumstances.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover