Mitigate

v.capable, resilientprofessional

What it means

To reduce the harm, severity, or difficulty of something.

Reach for it when describing measures that lessen a problem without claiming to remove it

Shade trees and drinking fountains will mitigate heat around the playground.

everyday
lessen
when severity or degree becomes smaller
not when Lessen does not identify whether the underlying risk remains.
everyday
reduce
when a measurable decrease is the direct claim
not when Reduce is broad and can concern quantity without lessening harm.
warm
soften
when impact, tone, or harshness becomes gentler
not when Soften is figurative and too imprecise for technical risk controls.
professional
alleviate
when pain, burden, or hardship becomes easier to bear
not when Alleviate emphasizes relief and may not address risk.
professional
buffer
when a protective layer absorbs part of an impact
not when Buffering is indirect and may delay rather than reduce the underlying problem.
professional
curb
when growth or behavior is restrained
not when Curb implies control and is less natural for pain or existing damage.
professional
minimize
when reducing something as far as practical is the genuine aim
not when Minimize can falsely imply a near-lowest level or rhetorically downplay harm.
professional
moderate
when intensity is kept within a less extreme range
not when Moderate may describe control over degree without reducing damage.
professional
offset
when one benefit counterbalances a cost or effect
not when Offsetting does not remove the harm and may merely compensate elsewhere.
formal
ameliorate
when an unsatisfactory condition is made better
not when Ameliorate can imply broader improvement than mitigation delivers.

mitigate risk
Independent review can mitigate risk but cannot eliminate it.
help mitigate
Night ventilation will help mitigate heat in the upper rooms.
mitigate the impact
A temporary shuttle should mitigate the impact of the closure.
measures to mitigate
The plan lists measures to mitigate noise near the school.

The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.