1
as in relaxing
to make less taut
the lead climber loosened the climbing rope so that the other climber could have more room to maneuver
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in freeing
to set free (as from slavery or confinement)
the dog ran after the squirrel after he was loosened from the post
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unleashing
to set free (from a state of being held in check)
once he got to know us better, his inhibitions loosened a bit
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in unfixing
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Recent Examples of loosening
Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
And in November, OpenAI signed its first cloud contract with Amazon Web Services, further loosening Microsoft's once exclusive grip.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 1 Jan. 2026
Google may finally be loosening one of its most rigid account rules.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 25 Dec. 2025
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s Agenda 2010 tackled loosening the country’s tight labor market and paved a path of economic reform.
—Sudha David-Wilp, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2025
Newsrooms responded by tightening restraint, not loosening it.
—Stephanie A, The Conversation, 19 Dec. 2025
Houseplant began in Canada in 2019, but after some US states began loosening cannabis restrictions, the duo expanded the company stateside.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 Oct. 2025
That remark cuts against one market narrative that loosening financial conditions might be fueling an asset bubble in tech.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2025
Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1340 after throwing his weight behind it in August when lawmakers brokered a deal allowing independent drivers to unionize in exchange for loosening companies’ accident insurance coverage requirements.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026
The gradual loosening of restrictions against cannabis and cannabinoids helped make room in the market for other herbal and botanical products.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2025
The latter deal requires a loosening of rules prohibiting broadcast owners from owning TV stations reaching more than 39% of the national television audience.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 Dec. 2025
This wheel effectively does away with complicated fit tweaks, allowing for single-handed precision tightening and loosening – even while wearing gloves.
—New Atlas, 25 Dec. 2025
Hopes for political loosening persisted in the stubborn holdouts of China, Iran, and Russia.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Still, the Russell 2000 climbed to all-time highs yesterday as investors bet on a forthcoming loosening in monetary policy, which is known to benefit smaller companies.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2025
Rumors of a broader loosening have circulated over the past five years.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 22 Nov. 2025
Rotem said that a major reason this mismatch continues to narrow is the loosening of stigma around secondhand.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
They’re made from Lee’s stretchy denim blend that’s designed to move with you without loosening throughout the day.
—Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
And in November, OpenAI signed its first cloud contract with Amazon Web Services, further loosening Microsoft's once exclusive grip.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 1 Jan. 2026
Google may finally be loosening one of its most rigid account rules.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 25 Dec. 2025
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s Agenda 2010 tackled loosening the country’s tight labor market and paved a path of economic reform.
—Sudha David-Wilp, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2025
Newsrooms responded by tightening restraint, not loosening it.
—Stephanie A, The Conversation, 19 Dec. 2025
Houseplant began in Canada in 2019, but after some US states began loosening cannabis restrictions, the duo expanded the company stateside.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 Oct. 2025
That remark cuts against one market narrative that loosening financial conditions might be fueling an asset bubble in tech.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2025
Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1340 after throwing his weight behind it in August when lawmakers brokered a deal allowing independent drivers to unionize in exchange for loosening companies’ accident insurance coverage requirements.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
During his pontificate, Francis faced strong resistance from some conservative cardinals to some of his reforms, particularly on his loosening of rules banning divorced and remarried Catholics from communion and his welcome to gay Catholics.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026
The gradual loosening of restrictions against cannabis and cannabinoids helped make room in the market for other herbal and botanical products.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2025
The latter deal requires a loosening of rules prohibiting broadcast owners from owning TV stations reaching more than 39% of the national television audience.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 Dec. 2025
This wheel effectively does away with complicated fit tweaks, allowing for single-handed precision tightening and loosening – even while wearing gloves.
—New Atlas, 25 Dec. 2025
Hopes for political loosening persisted in the stubborn holdouts of China, Iran, and Russia.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Still, the Russell 2000 climbed to all-time highs yesterday as investors bet on a forthcoming loosening in monetary policy, which is known to benefit smaller companies.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2025
Rumors of a broader loosening have circulated over the past five years.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 22 Nov. 2025
Rotem said that a major reason this mismatch continues to narrow is the loosening of stigma around secondhand.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loosening
Verb
-
Style your living room with new throw pillow covers and blankets, design a relaxing bedroom with natural cotton sheets, set the table with stoneware plates, or make your kitchen even more functional with premium baking dishes and wooden utensils.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
7 Jan. 2026
-
That must include a lounge set that’s comfy enough for relaxing on the couch but has a polished design that looks put-together when worn out of the house.—
Rachel Trujillo,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In a season when the team knew kickoffs would become more valuable because of touchback rule changes, the Chiefs were behind the curve on kickoff placement and freeing up their returners in the open field.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
IntBot’s commercial deployments now extend this social intelligence to hotels and other public spaces, freeing human staff from routine tasks.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The predictions were that unleashing AI to the world at large would lead to an exponential rise in cheating at school and that student essays would cease to be original.—
Degen Pener,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Jan. 2026
-
The triggers spanned everything from interest rate hikes to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi unleashing the country’s biggest burst of spending since pandemic restrictions eased.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Consumer prices in China unexpectedly rose last month, new data showed Sunday, a sign that deflationary pressures on the world’s second-largest economy may be easing.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
9 Nov. 2025
-
This comes amid wider Russian attack on cities closer to Ukraine's front-line regions, signaling that Moscow has no intention of easing up its targeting of infrastructure or agreeing to any ceasefire.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The Minneapolis Federation of Educators said agents deployed tear gas and detained an educator before releasing them.—
Rebecca Santana,
Fortune,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Camacho gamely snatched one from the water, showing me its extraordinary teeth before releasing it again.—
Stanley Stewart,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Further, this development enhances the potential of renewable energy by unlocking perovskite’s ability to be printed onto flexible surfaces, such as curved windows, lightweight camping gear, and even clothing fabrics.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
-
What was the key to unlocking Mansu as a character?—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In one sense, detaching goal setting from the start of the Gregorian calendar is reasonable—one can, of course, choose to begin afresh at any moment.—
Valerie Trapp,
The Atlantic,
30 Dec. 2025
-
Foliage turns yellow and then red, adhering to the plant for several months, before finally detaching to form a leafy mulch below.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
6 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Liberation is funny, poignant and, yes, liberating in its expression of the very human need for justice and freedom in an era when those words have been co-opted by forces who value only self-enrichment.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
31 Dec. 2025
-
In 1943, as the Red Army began liberating Soviet territories from German occupation, the committee was inundated by letters from surviving and returning Jews.—
Wendy Z. Goldman,
The Conversation,
1 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Loosening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loosening. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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