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extenuating circumstance

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Legal, Wikipedia 0.02 sec.

extenuating circumstance

 or mitigating circumstance

In law, circumstance that diminishes the culpability of one who has committed a criminal offense. In many Anglo-American legal systems, provocation of the accused by the victim can reduce a charge of first-degree murder to second-degree murder or to manslaughter. In Britain, a charge of murder may be reduced to manslaughter if the accused is found to be suffering diminished capacity (see diminished responsibility). The Italian penal code allows consideration of motives of honour. Extenuating circumstances also are a factor in many civil actions.



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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
"I shall bring that forward as an extenuating circumstance," replied Eugenie.
Miss Bennet was the only creature who could suppose there might be any extenuating circumstances in the case, unknown to the society of Hertfordshire; her mild and steady candour always pleaded for allowances, and urged the possibility of mistakes-- but by everybody else Mr.
And in the end the criminal was, in consideration of extenuating circumstances, condemned to penal servitude in the second class for a term of eight years only.
 
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