Usage Notes
Mitigate, whose central meaning is “to lessen” or “to make less severe,” is sometimes confused with militate, which means“to have effect or influence; weigh on.” This mix-up often occurs in the use of the phrase mitigate against, as follows: Thiscriticism in no way mitigates (read militates) against your going with your research. Although this use of mitigateoccasionally occurs in edited writing, it is rare and is widely regarded as an error.
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