1
as in reducing
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2
as in depreciation
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Dissimilar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lessening
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
The good news is that GPT-5 will presumably be somewhat less than gushingly friendly, though the lessening might be variable and of a mixed result.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Justin Zacks, CNBC, 4 June 2026
Comeaux also noted that a separate $10 million grant is set to be used for technology aimed at lessening the threat posed by drones.
—Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 1 June 2026
The vaccine is 80% effective at preventing illness and highly effective in lessening symptoms.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 28 May 2026
Teams are checking the temperature of the tank every 30 minutes, hoping to confirm a downward trend that would indicate risk is lessening.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 26 May 2026
In addition to impacting white-collar jobs, AI is also shedding the need for some entry-level roles, according to an analysis from McKinsey, which said 51% of organizations reported in a 2025 survey that generative AI was lessening their need for entry-level jobs.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
The underlying bill is meant to ease the housing affordability crunch by lessening some government regulations on housing and incentivizing state and local governments to ease land-use regulations.
—Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 12 May 2026
In the short term, maintaining regular, soft bowel movements can help relieve straining (more on this next), lessening symptoms such as pain, itching, and bleeding from inflamed veins.
—Sarah Garone, Health, 30 Apr. 2026
By keeping more skin connected to the deeper tissues—and yielding smaller skin flaps in the face and neck—the technique aims to minimize space for fluid to settle, lessening not only post-op complications, but also bruising, swelling, and trauma to the skin.
—Jolene Edgar, Allure, 16 Mar. 2026
Noun
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
The good news is that GPT-5 will presumably be somewhat less than gushingly friendly, though the lessening might be variable and of a mixed result.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Verb
The drug is designed to rapidly block platelets from clumping and restricting blood flow, lessening the adverse outcomes of a heart attack.
—Justin Zacks, CNBC, 4 June 2026
Comeaux also noted that a separate $10 million grant is set to be used for technology aimed at lessening the threat posed by drones.
—Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 1 June 2026
The vaccine is 80% effective at preventing illness and highly effective in lessening symptoms.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 28 May 2026
Teams are checking the temperature of the tank every 30 minutes, hoping to confirm a downward trend that would indicate risk is lessening.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 26 May 2026
In addition to impacting white-collar jobs, AI is also shedding the need for some entry-level roles, according to an analysis from McKinsey, which said 51% of organizations reported in a 2025 survey that generative AI was lessening their need for entry-level jobs.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
The underlying bill is meant to ease the housing affordability crunch by lessening some government regulations on housing and incentivizing state and local governments to ease land-use regulations.
—Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 12 May 2026
In the short term, maintaining regular, soft bowel movements can help relieve straining (more on this next), lessening symptoms such as pain, itching, and bleeding from inflamed veins.
—Sarah Garone, Health, 30 Apr. 2026
By keeping more skin connected to the deeper tissues—and yielding smaller skin flaps in the face and neck—the technique aims to minimize space for fluid to settle, lessening not only post-op complications, but also bruising, swelling, and trauma to the skin.
—Jolene Edgar, Allure, 16 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lessening
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
Noun
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Bank Indonesia highlighted that the depreciation of the rupiah was also driven by foreign portfolio investment outflows.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
9 June 2026
-
However, the iPhone 11 lineup and iPhone SE (2020) have already lost between 84% and 90% of their original value, meaning much of that depreciation has already occurred.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Steiger's presentation also highlighted how the district has taken measures to reduce spending, like cutting off purchasing cards and decreasing non-school spending.—
Austin Horn
June 11,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
-
With decreasing revenue from the gas tax and increasing costs, Behrens said that over the next decade, the state will face a $216 billion shortfall.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
The swell on Saturday, which brought moderate 3-to 5-foot surf, was diminishing by the evening and into Sunday, said Sebastian Westerink, meteorologist for the National Weather Service.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
7 June 2026
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This put him in the unusual position of being both an embarrassment and a hugely valuable asset to the BBC, as well as the focus of frequent criticism from the UK’s right-leaning media, most of whom have a commercial interest in diminishing the BBC.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
4 June 2026
Verb
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In conclusion, autonomous AI risks undermining the essential human spirit of science and weakening its role as an arbiter of social conflicts.—
Mohammad Hosseini,
Chicago Tribune,
4 June 2026
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Critics argue the measures risk worsening an already severe humanitarian crisis on the island without meaningfully weakening the government.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
Noun
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These defects propagate through the device layers, degrading electron mobility, increasing leakage current, and shortening device reliability lifetimes.—
Aditya Jadhav,
Interesting Engineering,
8 June 2026
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By reducing the need for time-consuming manual point-cloud tracing and data cross-referencing, the new feature helps design teams move more efficiently from raw site capture to CAD-ready drafts and architectural modeling, shortening project turnaround time and reducing manual drafting costs.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 June 2026
Noun
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In reaction to pay decreases and general concerns around the cost of living, SEIU Local 1000 has sought legislative and contract relief in the form of a 20% wage increase from 2026 to 2028.—
Evelyn Ronan,
Sacbee.com,
11 June 2026
-
The dish detergent decreases while combining water and rubbing alcohol, leaving a streak-free shine.—
Rebecca Jones,
Southern Living,
11 June 2026
Verb
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If your garden is anything like mine, your poppies have petered out and your sages are subsiding.—
Pedro Moura,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
-
Breezy winds return on Tuesday after subsiding somewhat on Monday.—
Rachael Jay,
CBS News,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lessening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lessening. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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