Barnes folded up and put away the dresses, and Alice sought for words that would attenuate the unpleasantness of the scene.
"Muslin"
George Moore
The Venetian shutters often had to be lowered in the summer to attenuate the great heat.
"The Three Cities Trilogy: Paris, Vol. 2"
Emile Zola
There would be nothing for her to explain or attenuate or brag about; she could neither escape nor prevail by her strangeness; he would have, for that matter, on such a subject, more to tell her than to learn from her.
"The Wings of the Dove, Volume 1 of 2"
Henry James