lessen harm

[ˈlesən hɑːrm]
verb phrase
diminuir danos; reduzir prejuízos; mitigar danos
1. to reduce the severity, extent, or impact of damage, injury, or negative consequences
The safety measures were designed to lessen harm in case of an accident.
As medidas de segurança foram projetadas para diminuir danos em caso de acidente.
2. to make something bad less serious or less damaging
Early intervention can lessen harm to the environment.
A intervenção precoce pode reduzir prejudiciais ao meio ambiente.
This phrase is commonly used in professional contexts including healthcare, public health, environmental protection, and risk management. In Brazil, 'redução de danos' is an established public health approach, particularly in discussions of drug policy and addiction treatment. In the USA, 'harm reduction' has become a standard term in social policy discourse.
Synonyms / Sinônimos
reduce harmminimize damagemitigate harmdiminish injuryalleviate damage
Antonyms / Antônimos
increase harmamplify damageworsen injuryaggravate harm

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
diminuir danos
most common and neutral usage
Rio de Janeiro
reduzir o estrago
more colloquial and informal variant
São Paulo
mitigar danos
more technical and formal usage
Portugal
reduzir prejuízos; diminuir dano
slightly different word order preference

Related Words

mitigationpreventiondamage controlharm reductioninjury preventionrisk management

Related Idioms & Phrases

harm reduction strategy
minimize the damage
prevent further harm
lessen the blow
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