What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Mimic vs Mitigate - What's the difference?

mimic | mitigate |

As verbs the difference between mimic and mitigate

is that mimic is to imitate, especially in order to ridicule while mitigate is to reduce, lessen, or decrease.

As a noun mimic

is a person who practices mimicry, or mime.

As an adjective mimic

is pertaining to mimicry; imitative.

mimic

English

Alternative forms

* mimick

Verb

  • To imitate, especially in order to ridicule.
  • * {{quote-magazine, title=A better waterworks, date=2013-06-01, volume=407, issue=8838
  • , page=5 (Technology Quarterly), magazine=(The Economist) citation , passage=An artificial kidney these days still means a refrigerator-sized dialysis machine. Such devices mimic the way real kidneys cleanse blood and eject impurities and surplus water as urine.}}
  • (biology) To take on the appearance of another, for protection or camouflage.
  • Synonyms

    * See also

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A person who practices mimicry, or mime.
  • An imitation.
  • Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Pertaining to mimicry; imitative.
  • *, II.12:
  • I think every man is cloied and wearied, with seeing so many apish and mimicke trickes, that juglers teach their Dogges, as the dances, where they misse not one cadence of the sounds or notes they heare.
  • * Milton
  • Oft, in her absence, mimic fancy wakes / To imitate her.
  • * Wordsworth
  • Mimic hootings.
  • Mock, pretended.
  • (mineralogy) Imitative; characterized by resemblance to other forms; applied to crystals which by twinning resemble simple forms of a higher grade of symmetry.
  • 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)