Synonyms of loosen (up)

loosen (up) 1 of 2

verb (1)

as in to facilitate

to free from obstruction or difficulty

hoped that adding a second lane would loosen up traffic on that street

Synonyms & Similar Words

• facilitate
• accelerate
• improve
• ease
• promote
• simplify
• grease
• smooth
• pave the way (for)
• straighten (out)
• speed
• assist
• help
• aid
• forward
• unclog
• further
• hurry
• expedite
• hasten
• quicken
• rush
• advance
• streamline
• disentangle
• abet
• untangle

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• complicate
• hinder
• impede
• retard
• aggravate
• worsen
• perplex
• sophisticate

loosen up

2 of 2

verb (2)

as in to relax

to get rid of nervous tension or anxiety

a high-pressure job that makes it hard for him to loosen up even on weekends

Synonyms & Similar Words

• relax
• hang loose
• rest
• chill out
• wind down
• chill
• unwind
• mellow (out)
• decompress
• compose
• kick back
• bask
• hang (around or out)
• de-stress
• settle
• goof (off)
• lounge
• hack (around)
• unbend
• alleviate
• comfort
• relieve
• bum
• idle
• veg out
• calm
• repose
• cool
• ease
• zone out
• loaf
• quiet
• loll
• dawdle
• laze
• footle
• vegetate
• drone
• dillydally
• dally

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• tense (up)

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of loosen (up)

Verb

It’s heated to loosen up stiff muscles, and the nodes can knead the shoulder, arm, buttocks and legs for instant relief. Find it on Amazon This Sofa Is Such Great Quality This stylish sofa can offer your living room an instant refresh. —Kat Romero, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2024

This helps loosen up anything smelly that might be stuck to the blades. —Halee Miller Van Ryswyk, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Sep. 2024

Finally, America’s housing market is starting to loosen up. —Samantha Delouya, CNN, 16 Sep. 2024

How to implement it in an environment where schools recruit, where transfer rules have been loosened up so that athletes can switch schools more easily, that’s been the real challenge. —Alex Sherman, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2024