What's the difference between attenuate and extenuate?

Attenuate


Definition:

  • (v. t.) To make thin or slender, as by mechanical or chemical action upon inanimate objects, or by the effects of starvation, disease, etc., upon living bodies.
  • (v. t.) To make thin or less consistent; to render less viscid or dense; to rarefy. Specifically: To subtilize, as the humors of the body, or to break them into finer parts.
  • (v. t.) To lessen the amount, force, or value of; to make less complex; to weaken.
  • (v. i.) To become thin, slender, or fine; to grow less; to lessen.
  • (a.) Alt. of Attenuated

Example Sentences:

  • (1) This suggested that the chemical effects produced by shock waves were either absent or attenuated in the cells, or were inherently less toxic than those of ionizing irradiation.
  • (2) The results are consistent with our previous suggestion that lethality for virulent SFV infection results from a lethal threshold of damage to neurons in the CNS and that attenuating mutations may reduce neuronal damage below this threshold level.
  • (3) Exposure to nanomolar concentrations of saralasin, an Ang II agonist, attenuated the passage of the fluorophores across the monolayers by 50-75%.
  • (4) Furthermore, the ability of a vasopressin antagonist to lower arterial pressure in NTS hypertensive rats was markedly attenuated by clonidine treatment.
  • (5) These results indicate that during IPPV the increased Pcv attenuates the pressure gradient for venous return and decreases CO and that the compensatory increase in Psf is caused by a blood shift from unstressed to stressed blood volume.
  • (6) Mild, significant improvement was noted in one of the hearing components, "attenuation," and an adverse effect was shown on "distortion," owing to noise.
  • (7) It inhibits platelet and vascular smooth muscle activation by cGMP-dependent attenuation of the agonist-induced rise of intracellular free Ca2+.
  • (8) Genetic regulation of the ilvGMEDA cluster involves attenuation, internal promoters, internal Rho-dependent termination sites, a site of polarity in the ilvG pseudogene of the wild-type organism, and autoregulation by the ilvA gene product, the biosynthetic L-threonine deaminase.
  • (9) Pharmacodynamic relationships are not well established for other therapeutic effects of theophylline, such as attenuation of pharmacologically induced bronchoconstriction.
  • (10) Propranolol, 0.85 X 10(-6) M, did not significantly depress the ouabain-enhanced rate of phase 4 depolarization but did attenuate the response to epinephrine through beta blockade.
  • (11) After large bowel removal, there was impaired glucose tolerance and attenuated plasma insulin secretion.
  • (12) Studies were conducted in isolated, buffer-perfused rat lungs to determine if prostaglandin (PG) E1 attenuated pulmonary edema provoked by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).
  • (13) The toxins preferentially attenuate a slow phase of KCl-evoked glutamate release which may be associated with synaptic vesicle mobilization.
  • (14) The Northern quahaug and a strain of the type 1 attenuated poliovirus were used as the working model.
  • (15) Our dynamic study indicated that: 1) a bolus injection of contrast medium with our method of CTA (CTA-B) produced an attenuation difference between liver and tumor which was about double that obtained with standard methods for CTA, and 2) marked tumor-liver attenuation differences (above 20 HU) persisted for more than 60 s in CTA-B and for not more than 20 s with conventional methods for CTA.
  • (16) It appears that the viscosity of the arterial wall must be the major source of attenuation in the larger arteries, while the viscosity of the blood plays a significant role only in the smaller vessels.
  • (17) Fluid movement out of the ICF space attenuated the decrease in the ECF space.
  • (18) We show that the two mutants (A44 and A46) affect attenuator control by different mechanisms.
  • (19) The type I cells are squamous and give off attenuated sheets of cytoplasm which spread widely over the septal surface; these sheets contain few organelles.
  • (20) A sequence of seven pairings of chili-flavored diet with prompt recovery from thiamine deficiency did significantly attenuate the innate aversion and may have induced a chili preference in at least one case.

Extenuate


Definition:

  • (v. t.) To make thin or slender; to draw out so as to lessen the thickness.
  • (v. t.) To lessen; to palliate; to lessen or weaken the force of; to diminish the conception of, as crime, guilt, faults, ills, accusations, etc.; -- opposed to aggravate.
  • (v. t.) To lower or degrade; to detract from.
  • (v. i.) To become thinner; to make excuses; to advance palliating considerations.
  • (a.) Thin; slender.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Can't put a finger on it, though there were obvious extenuating personal circumstances in the case of the two most anticipated acts (Gaga and Cole).
  • (2) It is our opinion that except for certain extenuating circumstances, the procedure of choice for carcinoma of the breast is either a modified or standard radical mastectomy.
  • (3) These negative feelings and negative self-images are exploited so as to appease the superego in the face of one's hostile aggression: that one is justified, that there are extenuating circumstances for one's hatred and destructiveness.
  • (4) Other recent IOM research shows that the majority had not intended to travel to Europe when leaving home, but had been forced to change their destinations due to extenuating circumstances such as the Libyan civil war.
  • (5) The intravenous urogram, including the initial plain film, remains the primary diagnostic modality and, in the absence of extenuating clinical features, is often the sole test required to make a decision regarding the best therapeutic modality.
  • (6) Uruguay recently legalised first trimester interventions, while Colombia, Brazil and Argentina allow abortion in rape and other extenuating circumstances.
  • (7) "What I am saying is that I don't think everyone should be chucked into prison regardless of the circumstances, with no discretion, no exceptions and no extenuating circumstances.
  • (8) Thirdly, it starts to admit extenuations and exceptions.
  • (9) These changes develop by an increase in mean arterial pressure, the reduction of the sympathetic activity, and probably of an extenuation of the splanchnic vasodilation.
  • (10) Hence, chronic administration of lithium leads to potentiation in its action of the serotonin-negative and central adreno-negative componets and to extenuating the peripheral adreno-negative component.
  • (11) "Due to extenuating circumstances, Secret Cinema is unable to receive guests at tonight's show of Secret Cinema presents Back to the Future" the statement read.
  • (12) The government already has precious little trust in grassroots British Muslim circles on their preventing extremism agenda – and if the suggested plans are true then that disconnect will simply extenuate the circumstances, making us all that much less safe.
  • (13) Subjects' rating indicated that (a) biology was judged important for explaining negative moods occurring premenstrually: (b) inconsistency between mood and environment produced more internal (personality) attributions, while consistency enhanced external attributions; and (c) emotionally expressive behavior was thought to reflect underlying personality dispositions despite extenuating situational factors (assumed personal causation).
  • (14) Both had very extenuating circumstances making complete repair inappropriate.
  • (15) Adam's sin is perhaps mitigated by the extenuating circumstance that he didn't exist.
  • (16) The population studies as representative of psychiatric extenuation are a personal consecutive sample of court referrals for formal evaluation undertaken in a psychiatric hospital unit.
  • (17) Only extenuating circumstances justify these risks when general anesthesia is available.
  • (18) In some cases, there were extenuating circumstances which, when combined with obstetrical intervention, resulted in an increase in mortality.
  • (19) Secret Cinema said that the cancellation was due to "extenuating circumstances".
  • (20) The 49ers are in his backyard.” Martin must pass a physical for the trade to be officially executed, but that’s expected for be a formality for the 42nd overall pick in the 2012 draft, who will now hope to fulfil his potential in a new environment after underperforming - albeit with extenuating circumstances - in Miami.