Meanings
plural extenuating circumstances
- in pluralor general usagelawAny fact that mitigates or lessens a crime.
In the instant case, testimony has been offered that there were extenuating circumstances which might have made it impossible for the Hospital to comply with the time limit (Union office closed on April 4, 1974, for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day March).
1976, Harry N. Casselman, “Case No. 7”, in Earl R. Baderschneider, Paul F. Miller, editors, Labor Arbitration in Health Care: A Case Book, New York: Spectrum Publications, Inc., →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 44Synonyms: attenuating circumstance, mitigating circumstance, mitigating factor · Antonyms: aggravating circumstance, aggravating factor, aggravation
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny fact that mitigates or lessens a crime.
Translations
Catalan circumstància attenuant
- circumstància attenuantfact that mitigates a crime
Czech polehčující okolnost
- polehčující okolnostfact that mitigates a crime
Danish formildende omstændigheder
- formildende omstændighederfact that mitigates a crime
Dutch verzachtende omstandigheid
- verzachtende omstandigheidfact that mitigates a crime
Finnish lieventävä asianhaara
- lieventävä asianhaarafact that mitigates a crime
French circonstance atténuante
- circonstance atténuantefact that mitigates a crime
German mildernder Umstand, mildernde Umstände
- mildernder Umstandfact that mitigates a crime
- mildernde Umständefact that mitigates a crime
Greek ελαφρυντική περίσταση
- ελαφρυντική περίσταση (elafryntikí perístasi)fact that mitigates a crime
Hungarian enyhítő körülmény
- enyhítő körülményfact that mitigates a crime
Italian attenuante, circostanza attenuante
- attenuantefact that mitigates a crime
- circostanza attenuantefact that mitigates a crime
Norwegian Bokmål formildende omstendigheter
- formildende omstendigheterfact that mitigates a crime
Polish okoliczność łagodząca
- okoliczność łagodzącafact that mitigates a crime
Portuguese atenuante
- atenuantefact that mitigates a crime
Romanian circumstanțe atenuante
- circumstanțe atenuantefact that mitigates a crime
Russian смягча́ющее обстоя́тельство
- смягча́ющее обстоя́тельство (smjaxčájuščeje obstojátelʹstvo)fact that mitigates a crime
Spanish circunstancia extenuante / extenuadora
- circunstancia extenuante / extenuadorafact that mitigates a crime
Swedish förmildrande omständigheter
- förmildrande omständigheterfact that mitigates a crime
Thai เหตุบรรเทาโทษ
- เหตุบรรเทาโทษ (hèet-ban-tao-tôot)fact that mitigates a crime
Cite this entry
extenuating circumstance. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/extenuating%20circumstance
“extenuating circumstance.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/extenuating%20circumstance. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “extenuating circumstance,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/extenuating%20circumstance.
Source: extenuating circumstance on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.