n. The act of extenuating or the state of being extenuated; the act of making thin, slender, or lean, or of palliating; diminishing, or lessening; palliation, as of a crime; mitigation, as of punishment. That which renders a crime or tort less heinous than it would be without it: it is opposed to aggravation. In general, extenuating circumstances go in mitigation of punishment in criminal cases, or of damages in those of a civil nature.