slackening 1 of 2

adjective

as in softening

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slackening

2 of 2

verb

present participle of slacken
1
as in loosening
to make less taut you'll need to slacken the rope a bit to get it free of that post

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in slowing
to cause to move or proceed at a less rapid pace drivers need to slacken their speed as they approach the sharp curve

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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 slackening
Verb
Still further downstream the channel broadens out, and the slackening current has deposited débris and deadheads galore. — Harry H. Edel, Outdoor Life, 19 Aug. 2026 Another factor was the slackening appeal of industrial companies, which had long absorbed the greatest number of young graduates. — Literary Hub, 15 May 2026 Hammers tapped slackening fibers and instead of the pleasant overtones of a major scale, a nauseating cacophony swelled from the instrument’s wooden belly. — Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 21 Jan. 2026 There was still a risk of more flash flooding and mudslides Friday despite slackening rain around Los Angeles, the National Weather Service warned. — Ty Oneil, Arkansas Online, 27 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slackening
  1. yielding
  2. loosening
  3. slowing
  4. braking
Adjective
  • Secondly, as markets remain gripped by concerns around long-term public debt and fiscal sustainability globally, Gower acknowledged that higher bond yields remain a challenge for non-yielding assets like gold.
    — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026
  • These resources can be used to breed new varieties of crops that are higher yielding, more resilient to climate change, and more nutritious.
    — Anna Nelson, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of yielding
Verb
  • This beautiful retrospective volume shows a poet developing steadily, from the graceful descriptions and encoded trauma of the poems from the 1990s through the loosening music and political engagement of the books of the last ten years.
    — Craig Morgan Teicher, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The pullout, however, leaves a new Iraqi government with the daunting task of loosening Iran’s grip on its neighbor, which has long been trapped in a cycle of sectarianism, foreign meddling and civil conflict.
    — Sarah Tamimi, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of loosening
Verb
  • The team of physicists has now theoretically eliminated a long-standing roadblock, opening the door for next-generation security chips that protect everyday data without slowing down performance.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The meeting was held during the United Nations General Assembly’s annual gathering of world leaders, as an intensifying aerial war between Russia and Ukraine showed no sign of slowing.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of slowing
Verb
  • Smoother downshifts while braking matter more, but trying to step up a gear at full throttle anywhere near redline seemed to challenge the clutch-free system.
    — Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 21 Sep. 2026
  • This section ends with another heavy braking zone at Turn 17, where speeds are expected to drop from 175mph to around 60mph.
    — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of braking

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Cite this Entry

“Slackening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slackening. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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