mitigation

nouns

to act in such a way as to cause an offense to seem less serious

is derived from

a partial excuse to mitigate censure; an attempt to represent an offense as less serious than it appears by showing mitigating circumstances

extenuation, mitigation

is derived from

is derived from

the action of lessening in severity or intensity

"the object being control or moderation of economic depressions"

mitigation, moderation