EXTENUATE in a Sentence

Learn EXTENUATE from example sentences, some of them are from classic books. These examples are selected from a corpus with 300,000 sentences, including classic works and current mainstream media. Some sentences also link to their contexts.

For EXTENUATE, below is one of 11 sentences:
Impostor," repeated Villefort; "certainly, madame, you appear to extenuate some cases, and exaggerate others.

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 Meanings and Examples of EXTENUATE
Definition Example Sentence Classic Sentence
extenuate
 v.  weaken; lessen or attempt to lessen seriousness of, especially by providing partial excuses
Classic Sentence:
1  Impostor," repeated Villefort; "certainly, madame, you appear to extenuate some cases, and exaggerate others.
The Count of Monte Cristo By Alexandre Dumas
Context  Highlight   In Chapter 99. The Law.
2  It would avail me nothing to extenuate it now.
David Copperfield By Charles Dickens
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER 44. OUR HOUSEKEEPING
3  "It was a small estate that brought in no profit," replied Prince Andrew, trying to extenuate his action so as not to irritate the old man uselessly.
War and Peace 2 By Leo Tolstoy
Context  Highlight   In BOOK 6: CHAPTER V
4  "I shall bring that forward as an extenuating circumstance," replied Eugenie.
The Count of Monte Cristo By Alexandre Dumas
Context  Highlight   In Chapter 97. The Departure for Belgium.
5  "There will be extenuating circumstances," he replied.
The Count of Monte Cristo By Alexandre Dumas
Context  Highlight   In Chapter 110. The Indictment.
6  On these three considerations alone is based the conception of irresponsibility for crimes and the extenuating circumstances admitted by all legislative codes.
War and Peace 6 By Leo Tolstoy
Context  Highlight   In BOOK 17: CHAPTER IX
7  There is here a sort of delicacy of the divine justice, hesitating to let loose upon the illustrious usurper the formidable historian, sparing Caesar Tacitus, and according extenuating circumstances to genius.
Les Misérables 4 By Victor Hugo
Context  Highlight   In BOOK 10: CHAPTER II—THE ROOT OF THE MATTER
8  I sometimes thought of standing my trial, for, although I could not deny the facts alleged in the several articles, yet I hoped they would admit of some extenuation.
Gulliver's Travels 1 By Jonathan Swift
Context  Highlight   In PART 1: CHAPTER VII.
9  The circumstances of his marriage, too, were found to admit of much extenuation.
Persuasion By Jane Austen
Context  Highlight   In Chapter 15
10  He appeared, and confirmed the whole account: but with much more advantage to the captain, whose modesty had extenuated or concealed a great part of his merit.
Gulliver's Travels 2 By Jonathan Swift
Context  Highlight   In PART 3: CHAPTER VIII.
Example Sentence:
1  It is easier for us to extenuate our own shortcomings than those of others.