mitigate

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin mītigātus, from mītigō, from mītis (“gentle, mild, ripe”) + agō (“do, make”), from Proto-Indo-European *meh₁i- (“mild, soft”).

verb

1. (transitive) To reduce, lessen, or decrease; to make less severe or easier to bear.
   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. 1795, George Washington, Seventh State of the Union Address
   But in yielding to it the retaliation has been mitigated as much as possible, both in its extent and in its character... 1813, James Madison, Fifth State of the Union Address
   Then they tell us that vaccination will mitigate the disease that it will make it milder. 1896, Walter Hadwen, The Case Against Vaccination
   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. 1920, H. P. Lovecraft, The Cats of Ulthar
   But then crashworthiness is not about preventing accidents, but about mitigating their consequences. October 6 2021, Greg Morse, “A need for speed and the drive for 125”, in RAIL, number 941, page 53
2. (transitive) To downplay.