1
as in to reduce
to make smaller in amount, volume, or extent
we lessened our efforts as it became clear they weren't having an effect
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to decrease
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually
the pain should begin to lessen within minutes of taking the medication
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
blatant hypocrisy that lessened him in the eyes of the voters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lessen
The exhibition was fully funded by the institution’s Campaign for Music Education, an initiative focused on lessening music education costs and fostering music’s next generation.
—
Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2025
One study found that gargling green tea helped lessen a cough in heart surgery patients.8 However, the tea did not help with symptoms of hoarseness.
—Julie Marks, Verywell Health, 12 Feb. 2025
For starters, a Heat source denied that Miami ever offered to lessen the number of games in Butler’s original seven-game suspension and denied asking Butler to pay his own way to meet out of town with owner Micky Arison to discuss the issue.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2025
The effort is expected to ease congestion and lessen the stress on control tower personnel; however, it is also expected to increase average delays by 10 minutes.
—Mandy Taheri, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lessen
Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2025
One study found that gargling green tea helped lessen a cough in heart surgery patients.8 However, the tea did not help with symptoms of hoarseness.
—Julie Marks, Verywell Health, 12 Feb. 2025
For starters, a Heat source denied that Miami ever offered to lessen the number of games in Butler’s original seven-game suspension and denied asking Butler to pay his own way to meet out of town with owner Micky Arison to discuss the issue.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2025
The effort is expected to ease congestion and lessen the stress on control tower personnel; however, it is also expected to increase average delays by 10 minutes.
—Mandy Taheri, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lessen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lessen
Verb
-
Guided by billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, the Trump administration has moved aggressively the past week to fire probationary workers across federal departments and agencies in an effort to drastically reduce the size of the government.—
Joey Garrison,
USA TODAY,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Incentive use may also be weakening as a sales strategy as elevated interest rates reduce the pool of eligible home buyers.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Africa’s lion population has decreased by nearly half over the past quarter century, according to the African Wildlife Foundation, and the lion is regionally extinct in 15 African countries.—
Kathryn Romeyn,
AFAR Media,
11 Feb. 2025
-
In other second-quarter statistics, there was a 50.9 percent gross margin rate, representing an increase of 110 basis points year-over-year; inventory decreased 1.3 percent last quarter to 404.6 million euros.—
David Moin,
WWD,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
To strip her name from her and contort it into a term that is most often used to degrade artists who look like her is simply dehumanizing.—
Kyle Denis,
Billboard,
11 Feb. 2025
-
Topaz Labs View 1 Images Topaz Labs, which makes powerful photo and video enhancement software, just showed off a new AI model that automatically enhances old footage, from your home video collection to archival content that may have degraded over time on traditional media.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
This has less to do with a diminishing talent pool than a changing industry where the lines between Corman’s world and Hollywood at large became more sharply drawn.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2025
-
Although his output had diminished, from an availability and form perspective, Villa valued him higher than Douglas Luiz or Diaby and with greater scope for improvement.—
Jacob Tanswell,
The Athletic,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
In the bond market, Treasury yields fell after a report said sales at U.S. retailers weakened by much more last month than economists expected.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2025
-
His executive order, unless reversed by the courts, will encourage greater corruption in Latin America, hurting the region’s economies, weakening democratic institutions and making countries poorer.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
By most measures, political violence subsided after January 2021, in part because hundreds of participants in the January 6 attack were convicted and imprisoned.—
STEVEN LEVITSKY,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Feb. 2025
-
Ultimately, the north winds subsided and hundreds of firefighters and volunteers got the fire under control.—
Jenny Jarvie,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Conditions are deteriorating in a network of Syrian prisons holding terrorists of the Islamic State.—
Bart Jansen,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Despite the exciting success of the film in festivals and among journalists and audiences around the world, however, the situation here on the ground is deteriorating rapidly and the future looks bleak.—
Basel Adra,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Powell recommends adding two to three tablespoons of shampoo to an empty bottle that has a nozzle and diluting it with water.—
Annie Blay,
Allure,
13 Feb. 2025
-
Rinse your mouth with tap water after drinking, and reduce the amount of lemon in your drink or dilute it with water. — MELISSA NIEVES, LND, RD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD Summary Lemons are full of beneficial nutrients, especially vitamin C.—
Melissa Nieves,
Verywell Health,
12 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to lessen
Cite this Entry
“Lessen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lessen. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share