Nearby Words
lessen [les-uhn] Example Sentences
Main Entry:
lessen [les-uhn]
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: lower, reduce
Synonyms: abate, abridge, amputate, attenuate, become smaller, clip, close, contract, crop, curtail, cut, cut back, de-escalate, decline, decrease, degrade, die down, dilute, diminish, downsize, drain, dwindle, ease, erode, grow less, impair, lighten, minify, minimize, mitigate, moderate, narrow, roll back, shrink, slack up, slacken, slow down, soft-pedal, take the bite out, take the edge off, take the sting out, taper, taper off, thin, truncate, weaken, wind down
Notes: lessen means to decrease in size, extent, or range, while a lesson is a unit of instruction
Antonyms: enlarge, extend, increase, raise, strengthen
Main Entry: allay
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: reduce something, usually a pain or a problem
Synonyms: abate, alleviate, assuage, calm, compose, cool out, decrease, ease, lessen, lighten, make nice, mitigate, moderate, mollify, pacify, play up to, pour oil on, quiet, square, take the bite out, take the sting out
Antonyms: intensify, provoke, stir, worsen
Main Entry: appease
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: satisfy, pacify
Synonyms: allay, alleviate, assuage, be enough, blunt, calm, compose, conciliate, content, diminish, do*, ease, gratify, lessen, lull, make matters up, meet halfway, mitigate, mollify, patch things up, placate, propitiate, quell, quench, quiet, serve, soften, soothe, subdue, sweeten, tranquilize
Antonyms: aggravate, annoy, incite, irritate, provoke, tease
Example Sentences
  • It should lessen the impact of the tax on new construction and result in refunds for developers who already have made payments.
  • The wake of the affair will be a long one and no doubt in time its effects will lessen.
  • Higher pay would lessen the temptations of corruption.
EXPAND
Main Entry: assuage
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: soothe, relieve
Synonyms: allay, alleviate, appease, calm, compose, conciliate, cool*, ease, fill, lessen, lighten, lull, make nice, mitigate, moderate, mollify, pacify, palliate, placate, pour oil on, propitiate, quench, quiet, sate, satisfy, soften, still, surfeit, sweeten, take the edge off, take the sting out, temper, tranquilize
Antonyms: exacerbate, upset
Main Entry: attenuate
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: weaken
Synonyms: abate, constrict, contract, cripple, debilitate, deflate, disable, dissipate, enfeeble, extenuate, lessen, mitigate, sap, shrink, thin, undermine, vitiate
Antonyms: expand, increase, intensify, strengthen
Main Entry: break
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: cushion something's effect
Synonyms: diminish, lessen, lighten, moderate, reduce, soften, weaken
Notes: to brake is to slow or stop while break is to cause to separate into pieces suddenly or violently, smash or crack
Main Entry: commercialize
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: prepare for saleability
Synonyms: advertise, cheapen, degrade, depreciate, develop as business, lessen, lower, make bring returns, make marketable, make pay, make profitable, make saleable, market, sell
Main Entry: compose
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: calm, bring under control
Synonyms: adjust, allay, appease, arrange, assuage, balm, becalm, check, collect, comfort, console, contain, control, cool, ease, ease up, hold in, lessen, let up, lull, mitigate, moderate, modulate, pacify, placate, quell, quiet, re-collect, reconcile, regulate, rein, relax, repress, resolve, restrain, settle, simmer down, slacken, smother, soften, solace, soothe, still, suppress, temper, tranquilize, tune down
Antonyms: agitate, anger, arouse, distress, excite, upset
Main Entry: consume
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: use up
Synonyms: absorb, apply, avail oneself of, deplete, devour, dissipate, dominate, drain, drivel, eat up, employ, engross, exhaust, expend, finish, finish up, fritter away, frivol away, go, go through, have recourse to, lavish, lessen, monopolize, obsess, preoccupy, profit by, put away, put to use, run out of, run through, spend, squander, throw away, trifle, utilize, vanish, wash up, waste, wear out
Antonyms: accumulate, collect, gather, neglect, not use, store
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