Decrease vs Extenuate - What's the difference?

In lang=en terms the difference between decrease and extenuate

is that decrease is to make (a quantity) smaller while extenuate is to lessen; to palliate; to lessen or weaken the force of; to diminish the conception of, as crime, guilt, faults, ills, accusations, etc; opposed to aggravate.

As verbs the difference between decrease and extenuate

is that decrease is of a quantity, to become smaller while extenuate is to make thin or slender; to draw out so as to lessen the thickness.

As a noun decrease

is an amount by which a quantity is decreased.

decrease

English

Verb

(decreas)

Of a quantity, to become smaller.

To make (a quantity) smaller.

Synonyms

* (become smaller) drop, fall, go down, plummet (rapidly), plunge (rapidly), reduce, shrink, sink * (make smaller) abate, cut, decrement, lower, reduce

Antonyms

* (become larger) go up, grow, increase, rise, soar (rapidly), shoot up (rapidly) * (make larger) increase, increment, raise, up (informal)

Noun

(en noun)

An amount by which a quantity is decreased.

(knitting) A reduction in the number of stitches, usually accomplished by suspending the stitch to be decreased from another existing stitch or by knitting it together with another stitch. See .

Synonyms

* (amount by which a quantity is decreased) cut, decrement, drop, fall, loss, lowering, reduction, shrinkage

Antonyms

* (amount by which a quantity is decreased) gain, increase, increment, raise , rise

Anagrams

* English ergative verbs English heteronyms 1000 English basic words

extenuate

English

Verb

(en-verb)

To make thin or slender; to draw out so as to lessen the thickness.

* Grew

His body behind the head becomes broad, from whence it is again extenuated all the way to the tail.

* Charlotte Brontë, Shirley

To this extenuated spectre, perhaps, a crumb is not thrown once a year, but when ahungered and athirst to famine—when all humanity has forgotten the dying tenant of a decaying house—Divine Mercy remembers the mourner

To become thinner.

To lessen; to palliate; to lessen or weaken the force of; to diminish the conception of, as crime, guilt, faults, ills, accusations, etc.; opposed to aggravate.

* 1599 ,

CLAUDIO. I know what you would say: if I have known her,

You'll say she did embrace me as a husband,

And so extenuate the 'forehand sin: No, Leonato,

I never tempted her with word too large;

But, as a brother to his sister, show'd

Bashful sincerity and comely love.

* I. Taylor

Let us extenuate , conceal, adorn the unpleasing reality.

(obsolete) To lower or degrade; to detract from.

* Milton

Who can extenuate thee?