extenuate
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extenuate¹
- /ɪkˈstɛnjʊət/ UK
- /ɛk-/ UK
- /-juː/ UK
- /-eɪt/ UK
- /ɪkˈstɛnjəˌwət/ US
- /-eɪt/ US
Where it comes from
From Middle English extenuat (“(medicine) made thin, emaciated”), from Latin extenuātus (“diminished, reduced, thinned”), perfect passive participle of extenuō (“to diminish, reduce, thin”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ex- (“out-, thoroughly”) + tenuō (“to enfeeble, weaken, wear down; to lessen, reduce; to make thin”), from tenuis (“fine, slender, thin; feeble, weak”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tenh₂- (“to extend, stretch; thin”)) + -ō (first conjugation-verb forming suffix). Compare attenuate.
adjective more extenuate · most extenuate
- Of a person: emaciated, wasted, weakened; of the body or part of it: atrophied, shrunken, withered. It is powerfull in helping extenuat and leane perſons who are troubled with difficultie of drawing their Brath: gives vigour and ſtrength to vithered and debilitat members; […]
- Of a quality or thing: lessened, weakened. And, that ſame Maieſty, vvhich (as the Baſe / And Pedeſtal) ſupports the vvaight and grace, / Greatnes and glory of a vvell-Rul'd State, / It not extinguiſht nor extenuate, / By being parcelliz'd to a plurality / Of petty Kinglings, of a mean Equality: […]
- Reduced to poverty; impoverished.
extenuate²
- /ɪkˈstɛnjʊeɪt/ UK
- /ɛk-/ UK
- /-juː/ UK
- /ɪkˈstɛnjəˌweɪt/ US
Where it comes from
From Latin extenuātus (“diminished, reduced, thinned”) (more at etymology 1), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).
verb extenuates · extenuating · extenuated · extenuate
- To make (something) less dense, or thinner; also, to lower the viscosity of (something). Garlyke. It doth extenuate and cutte groſſe humours and ſlymy, diſſolueth groſſe wyndes, and healeth all the body; […] yf it be ſodden vntyll it loſeth his tarteneſſe, it ſomewhat nouryſſheth, and yet looſeth not his propertie, to extenuate groſſe humours: […]
- To make (someone or something) slender or thin; to emaciate, to waste. It was deemed meritorious to disfigure the body by neglect and filth, to extenuate it by fasting and watchfulness, to lacerate it with stripes, and to fret the wounds with cilices of horsehair.
- To underestimate or understate the importance of (something); to underrate. The Company having novv pretty vvell ſatisfied their Thirſt, nothing remained but to pay the Reckoning, a Circumſtance often productive of much Miſchief and Diſcontent among the inferior Rank of Gentry; vvho are apt to find great Difficulty in aſſeſſing the Sum, vvith exact Regard to diſtributive Ju
- To diminish or seek to diminish the extent or severity of (a crime, guilt, a mistake, or something else negative) by making apologies or excuses; to palliate. to extenuate his faults to extenuate their crimes
- To beat or draw (a metal object, etc.) out so as to lessen the thickness. [T]he Chinians can very cunningly beate and extenuate gold into plates and leaues.
- To reduce the quality or quantity of (something); to lessen or weaken the force of (something). Arte amplifieth or extenuateth at occaſion: the reſidue is the liberality of the pen, or the poyſon of the inke: […]
- To degrade (someone); to detract from (someone's qualities, reputation, etc.); to depreciate, to disparage. [I]t hath beene ordinarie vvith politique men to extenuate and diſable learned men by the names of Pedantes: […]
Translations
Talk about this word "extenuate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/extenuate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. extenuate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/extenuate "extenuate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/extenuate.Cite this
@misc{extenuate_2026,
title = {extenuate},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/extenuate},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
