| 单词 | extenuating |
| 释义 | extenuating (once / 11161 pages) adj You'll be furious that your friend didn't bake the cupcakes she promised for your bake sale — until you learn the extenuating circumstances: her dog climbed onto her kitchen counter and ate all the cupcake batter. Extenuating means "making forgivable." The adjective extenuating is unusual because it's almost always used with the word circumstances; the phrase extenuating circumstances describes the specific reasons that excuse or justify someone's actions. The phrase became popular in the 1840s, and is even used in law to lessen punishment for crimes, but before that extenuating meant "lessening or making small." The Latin word for "thin," tenuis, combined with ex, means "to make thin", or to dilute a person's guilt because of a good excuse. WORD FAMILYextenuating: extenuatingly+/extenuate: extenuated, extenuates, extenuating, extenuation/extenuation: extenuations USAGE EXAMPLESNeither organization honored “Silence,” Martin Scorsese’s powerful exploration of faith, but there were extenuating circumstances. Los Angeles Times(Dec 01, 2016) Klinsmann’s supporters will point to a number of extenuating circumstances to argue the coach deserves to stay. Los Angeles Times(Nov 16, 2016) “The first order was very clear that it had to be extenuating circumstances,” Hogan said. Washington Post(Oct 16, 2016) adj partially excusing or justifying extenuating circumstances Syn exculpatory clearing of guilt or blame |
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