as in loose
not tightly fastened, tied, or stretched
the loosened nuts finally dropped off of the screws
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in relaxed
to make less taut
the lead climber loosened the climbing rope so that the other climber could have more room to maneuver
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in freed
to set free (as from slavery or confinement)
the dog ran after the squirrel after he was loosened from the post
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unleashed
to set free (from a state of being held in check)
once he got to know us better, his inhibitions loosened a bit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of loosened
Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Aug. 2025
Mark Gray, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Heavy rains came days before, which could have loosened the ground, making those mountain villages more vulnerable.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 2 Sep. 2025
Then, rub the seeds off the flower head and into a paper bag, or clip the entire flower head off the plant and hang it up to dry indoors until the seeds are easily loosened with your fingers.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Aug. 2025
Some ordinary baby formula, needed for those whose mothers are dead or unable to breastfeed, or when the child is unwell, has entered Gaza since the aid blockade was loosened, UNICEF said on Tuesday.
—Dawoud Abu Alkas, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
In 2014, the government of then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe loosened it, allowing case-by-case transfers under tight end-use controls.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
This cap, which has been loosened over the years, has historically been seen as critical to control the concentration in the over the air broadcasting and to preserve as best as possible the fidelity to coverage of local news and information.
—Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
The federal government, for its part, loosened importation rules and granted extensions to expiration dates to offer some relief from the dire shortage.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 20 Aug. 2025
Maresca’s immediate solution was to suggest that Todd Boehly further loosened the already pretty loose Chelsea purse strings and furnish him with a new signing to plug the gap.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Next, carefully remove the bowl from the microwave and use a microfiber cloth to wipe away all the loosened grime.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
Celebrities known for other things showing anything at all was worth the price of the magazine, and those parameters were loosened.
—Mark Gray, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Heavy rains came days before, which could have loosened the ground, making those mountain villages more vulnerable.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 2 Sep. 2025
Then, rub the seeds off the flower head and into a paper bag, or clip the entire flower head off the plant and hang it up to dry indoors until the seeds are easily loosened with your fingers.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Aug. 2025
Some ordinary baby formula, needed for those whose mothers are dead or unable to breastfeed, or when the child is unwell, has entered Gaza since the aid blockade was loosened, UNICEF said on Tuesday.
—Dawoud Abu Alkas, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
In 2014, the government of then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe loosened it, allowing case-by-case transfers under tight end-use controls.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
This cap, which has been loosened over the years, has historically been seen as critical to control the concentration in the over the air broadcasting and to preserve as best as possible the fidelity to coverage of local news and information.
—Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
The federal government, for its part, loosened importation rules and granted extensions to expiration dates to offer some relief from the dire shortage.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 20 Aug. 2025
Maresca’s immediate solution was to suggest that Todd Boehly further loosened the already pretty loose Chelsea purse strings and furnish him with a new signing to plug the gap.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loosened
Adjective
-
After struggling in the first half, running back Jerrod Wiley got loose on an untouched 69-yard touchdown run on the first play of the next drive to put Heritage back up two scores at 30-21.—
Jordan Neal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Step-by-Step Cleaning Process Vacuuming Upholstered chairs should be vacuumed weekly to remove loose dust, dirt, and hair.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
That means certain rules around campfires are relaxed, though visitors are still advised to use best practices for fire management and safety.—
Laura Gersony,
AZCentral.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Maier relaxed the shutdown pretty quickly.—
Chris Foran,
jsonline.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Only a small fraction of the nearly 150 hostages released from Gaza in the past two years have been directly freed by Israeli military operations, with the rest freed through Qatari and Egyptian mediation.—
Aya Batrawy,
NPR,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Playing someone who is so electric has freed me to take up space in new ways as an actor.—
Akili King,
Essence,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The 2010 operation was supposed to last three days but got called off after the first hour yielded dozens of arrests and unleashed a furious reaction from then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat.—
Elliot Spagat,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
-
In 2022, then UK Prime Minister Liz Truss unleashed a wave of market panic with unfunded tax cuts that forced the Bank of England into emergency action after 30-year gilt yields soared by over 100 basis points.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Oscar Bobb seized on a slack pass and led a counter-attack with Haaland and Reijnders on either side.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
18 Aug. 2025
-
Your arms should be down by your sides, and the towel should be slack and without tension.—
Alyssa Ages,
Outside Online,
28 June 2025
Verb
-
As the tariff threat eased and some progress was made on trade agreements, stocks have recovered sharply.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Alcaraz was briefly in a battle against Novak Djokovic, but eased through the third set after taking the second on a tiebreak.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
D4vd, who first went viral on TikTok, released his debut album in April.—
Alex Stone,
ABC News,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Jenkins, a former Brevard County school board member and speech pathologist, released a launch video casting herself as a fighter for working families, drawing on her own experience working multiple jobs to make ends meet.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
As such, there are certain similarities with erring politicians who some believe become undone by a mixture of various traits that tends not to exist in the wider population.—
Roger Trapp,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
But Sklar, who has a terminal illness and not long to live, has lots that has been left undone in his life.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Loosened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loosened. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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