lessening 1 of 2

noun

1
as in reducing

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2
as in depreciation

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Dissimilar Words

lessening

2 of 2

verb

present participle of lessen
1
as in decreasing
to make smaller in amount, volume, or extent we lessened our efforts as it became clear they weren't having an effect

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2
as in diminishing
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually the pain should begin to lessen within minutes of taking the medication

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3
as in weakening
to lower in character, dignity, or quality blatant hypocrisy that lessened him in the eyes of the voters

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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 lessening
Noun
The good news for the Broadway ticket buyer is that there does not necessarily appear to be a lessening in the quality of these shows, despite their quick turnaround. — Katie North, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026 Tehran blames the foreign ministry of Lebanon, particularly foreign minister Youssef Raggi, for the ‘lessening of solidarity with Iran. — Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026 While appearing radical at the time, the revamping of scientific boards to include more industry representatives, the undoing of power plant rules and the lessening of enforcement hobbled but did not completely undo the agency. — Barbara Kates-Garnick, The Conversation, 26 Aug. 2025
Verb
That strategy, designed to feed riders to trains and buses while lessening dependency on cars, led to the creation of Downtown Dadeland and clusters of towers and shops now rising around transit stations. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026 His approach sought to use technology to compensate for those shortages, lessening the burden of mobilization, which remains a sore point for Ukrainian society. — David Kirichenko, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 To push back, Julien Pouille, who leads the climate and health strategic team and is lead author of the report, argues that lessening reliance on petrochemical products would help mitigate rising medicine costs and improve the climate. — Ed Silverman, STAT, 30 July 2026 RiverLink also is included in the state’s Greater Hartford Mobility Program that lays out plans for encouraging alternate ways of getting around the region, lessening reliance on the motor vehicle. — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 26 July 2026 Parts of northern Arizona were without power Saturday as the utility serving the area initiated a safety shutoff in hopes of lessening the wildfire risk. — Ty Oneil, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026 Parts of northern Arizona were without power Saturday as the utility serving the area initiated a safety shut-off in hopes of lessening the wildfire risk. — ABC News, 27 June 2026 The utility that serves the area initiated a safety outage in hopes of lessening the risk of wildfire in that area. — Ty Oneil, Arkansas Online, 26 June 2026 What are the risks of lessening the barrier to testosterone therapy? — Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 25 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lessening
  1. reducing
  2. depreciation
  3. decreasing
  4. diminishing
  5. weakening
  6. shortening
  7. decrease
  8. subsiding
Noun
  • The long answer is that Estée Lauder’s Diamond Moisturizer is hydrating (as all moisturizers should be), firming, tightening, wrinkle-reducing, age spot-fading, and texture-smoothing.
    — Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 5 Jan. 2026
  • Moisturizing, soothing, and redness reducing, Erborian’s CC Cream is the ultimate cult-favorite beauty product.
    — Beatrice Zocchi, Vogue, 7 Oct. 2025
Definition of reducing
Noun
  • The company earned 200 million euros (US$233 million) in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization last year and will continue to grow profits, Rimac said.
    — Robert Frank, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Furthermore, stocks are an amazing hedge against the long-term depreciation of fiat currencies.
    — Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of depreciation
Verb
  • The vaccines don’t block all flu infections but do help prevent the worst outcomes, decreasing older adults’ hospitalizations by 31%, according to the Vaccine Integrity Project, a public health group based at the University of Minnesota.
    — Lauran Neergaard, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • If the network of user devices is substantial enough, every job can be routed to a nearby device, decreasing the latency.
    — Dina Genkina, IEEE Spectrum, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of decreasing
Verb
  • But the war’s unintended consequences have spread far beyond the Middle East, affecting global security, diminishing America’s global standing, and potentially providing its adversaries with an opportunity to expand their influence.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • As more money and attention flow into the space, the challenge is how to capitalize on the cultural cachet of the Grand Slams without diminishing what made that access desirable in the first place.
    — Jessica Schiffer, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of diminishing
Verb
  • Throughout this year, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been weakening the Navy’s leadership by blocking the promotion of nearly 20 admirals.
    — Andrea N. Goldstein, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Wheat futures hit their highest level in more than three years as the war in Ukraine strained supplies, further weakening the global food system.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of weakening
Noun
  • The height of this strategy shift was the Sneak Attack by Roger (SABR), in which Federer crept forward to return opponent’s serves almost on the half volley, shortening points and taking away time from his opponent.
    — Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Jump to Nutrition Facts Cream of tartar gives the cookies their signature snickerdoodle tang, while coconut oil mimics the flavor and texture of vegetable shortening, another traditional ingredient in snickerdoodles.
    — Emily Paster, Midwest Living, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of shortening
Noun
  • Newlight also reported a 28 percent reduction in CO₂ emissions and a 22 percent decrease in carbon monoxide emissions during the voyage.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
  • That is a drastic decrease in public support for right-leaning competitors since 2022, when nearly three times as many candidates won their seats and the group spent thousands on over 50 Florida school board campaigns.
    — Trinity Webster-Bass, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of decrease
Verb
  • Two of them coincide with areas where satellite radar shows that the ground is actively subsiding.
    — Nolan Roth, Scientific American, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Key Background The crisis appeared to be subsiding somewhat Friday as Spanish authorities said a majority of the 60,000 people who crossed into Ceuta from Morocco over the past several days had returned home.
    — Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of subsiding

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Cite this Entry

“Lessening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lessening. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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