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lessening
[les-uhn] 
| 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: | lessening |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | decrease |
| Synonyms: | decline, discount, reduction, shrinkage |
| Main Entry: | abridge |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | shorten |
| Synonyms: | abbreviate, abstract, blue pencil, chop, clip, compress, concentrate, condense, contract, curtail, cut, decrease, digest, diminish, downsize, lessen, limit, narrow, put in nutshell, reduce, restrict, slash, snip, summarize, trim, truncate |
| Antonyms: | add, enlarge, expand, extend, increase, lengthen |
| Main Entry: | abridgement |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | shortening, summary |
| Synonyms: | abbreviation, abstract, brief, compendium, condensation, conspectus, contraction, curtailment, cutting, decrease, digest, diminishment, diminution, lessening, outline, precis, reducing, reduction, synopsis |
| Antonyms: | addition, enlargement, expansion, extension, increase, lengthening, padding |
| 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 |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | appeasement |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | satisfaction; pacification |
| Synonyms: | abatement, acceding, accommodation, adjustment, alleviation, amends, assuagement, blunting, compromise, concession, conciliation, easing, grant, lessening, lulling, mitigation, moderation, mollification, peace offering, placation, propitiation, quelling, quenching, quieting, reconciliation, reparation, restoration, settlement, softening, solace, soothing, tranquilization |
| Antonyms: | aggravation, annoyance, irritation, provocation, resistance |
| 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 |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| 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 |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2012 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2012 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
