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Mitigate vs Compensate - What's the difference?

mitigate | compensate |

As verbs the difference between mitigate and compensate

is that mitigate is to reduce, lessen, or decrease while compensate is to pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration.

mitigate

English

Verb

(mitigat)
  • To reduce, lessen, or decrease.
  • * 1795 —
    • Measures are pursuing to prevent or mitigate the usual consequences of such outrages, and with the hope of their succeeding at least to avert general hostility.
  • * 1813 —
    • But in yielding to it the retaliation has been mitigated as much as possible, both in its extent and in its character...
  • * 1896 —
    • Then they tell us that vaccination will mitigate the disease that it will make it milder.
  • * 1901 — , ch 7
    • Then I discovered the brilliance of the landscape around was mitigated by blue spectacles.
  • * 1920 —
    • The plague had not been kind to him, yet had left him this small furry thing to mitigate his sorrow; and when one is very young, one can find great relief in the lively antics of a black kitten.
  • To downplay.

    • Synonyms

    * (to reduce or lessen) check, diminish, ease, lighten, mollify, pacify, palliate

    Antonyms

    * (to reduce or lessen) aggrandize, aggravate, exacerbate, incite, increase, intensify, irritate, worsen

    Coordinate terms

    * (l)

    Related terms

    * mitigated * mitigating * mitigation * mitigant ----

    compensate

    English

    Verb

    (compensat)
  • To pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration.
    • It is hard work, but they will compensate you well for it.
  • (ambitransitive) To make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct, satisfy; to reach an agreement such that the scales are literally]] or ([[metaphor, metaphorically) balanced; to equalize or make even.
    • His loud voice cannot compensate for a lack of personality.
    To compensate me for his tree landing on my shed, my neighbor paved my driveway.
  • * Francis Bacon
    • The length of the night and the dews thereof do compensate the heat of the day.
  • * Prior
    • The pleasures of life do not compensate the miseries.
  • To adjust or adapt to a change, often a harm or deprivation.
    • I don't like driving that old car because it always steers a little to the left so I'm forever compensating for that when I drive it. Trust me, it gets annoying real fast.
    To compensate for his broken leg, Gary uses crutches.

    Derived terms

    * compensation * compensatory * recompense * recompensate

    Related terms

    * compensable * compensably

    Synonyms

    1. To pay * guerdon * reimburse to pay back 2. To make up for, correct, satisfy, or equalize, to balance the scales, to equalize or make even.
    * equate * offset * redeem * accord * reconcile * harmonize * atone * indemnify * requite * rectify * level * resolve * * amend * expiate * redress * remedy * remunerate * appease * restitute and restitution
    3. To adjust to a change.
    * acclimatize and acclimate * accommodate * accustom * adapt * accord * counterbalance * counteract * integrate * attune

    External links

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