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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in unfixing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of loosening
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
3 July 2026
The Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with congressional Republicans in further loosening campaign finance limits, a decision likely to upend how political parties funnel millions of dollars into TV ads in the upcoming midterm elections.
—
Julian Mark,
Washington Post,
30 June 2026
The cheers rose in volume when Williams bounded to the center of the court and shuffled side to side like a boxer, loosening her shoulder joint and getting used to the feeling of grass beneath her feet again.
—
Ava Wallace,
New York Times,
30 June 2026
To some extent, the 2026 festival was a retrospective of the late twentieth century, when modernist strictures were loosening and a more expansive, pluralistic mentality was taking hold.
—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
Cambridge recently joined Boston and other Massachusetts communities in temporarily loosening its liquor laws for the World Cup and other summer celebrations.
—
Logan Hall,
CBS News,
24 June 2026
This is achieved through loosening regulations to encourage housing construction and limiting Wall Street investors' ability to buy homes that could go to families instead.
—
Lalee Ibssa,
ABC News,
23 June 2026
Garden trowel Mulch (optional) Prepare the soil by loosening it up with a garden trowel.
—
Sj McShane,
Martha Stewart,
22 June 2026
Being interruptible means loosening our grip on our tasks and plans so there's enough space for real people to get in.
—
Jen Zamzow,
CNBC,
20 June 2026
Allison Palmer
updated June 24,
Charlotte Observer,
24 June 2026
Although jeans may be more relaxed around the legs, there is still a case for stretch materials to provide comfort and ease as well as recovery or bounce back, preventing bagged out knees and loosening.
—
Sarah Jones,
Footwear News,
12 June 2026
Has there been any loosening of the rules for the tournament?
—
Melanie Anzidei,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
As the Union-Tribune’s Lucas Robinson noted, that money was made available by an earlier loosening of restrictions on dipping into the reserve — a policy advanced by the Board of Supervisors’ three Democrats and opposed by its two Republicans.
—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
There has been some loosening on those expectations for traditional journalists, which varies significantly by organization, beat, and medium.
—
Jeremy Saks,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
26 May 2026
Shortly thereafter, gaps between high and low performers began to grow at the national level, which many education scholars attribute both to the introduction of screens and the loosening of accountability.
—
Abby McCloskey,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2026
Long Beach, Long Island, is holding a public hearing regarding the loosening of alcohol restrictions on its iconic boardwalk.
—
Jennifer McLogan,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Chinese bonds may be reaching an historic turning point, with yields climbing from record low levels as deflationary pressures ease and expectations for monetary loosening recede.
—
Iris Ouyang,
Bloomberg,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
Matching trousers stayed narrow through the hips before loosening down the leg into a slight flare.
—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
3 July 2026
The Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with congressional Republicans in further loosening campaign finance limits, a decision likely to upend how political parties funnel millions of dollars into TV ads in the upcoming midterm elections.
—
Julian Mark,
Washington Post,
30 June 2026
The cheers rose in volume when Williams bounded to the center of the court and shuffled side to side like a boxer, loosening her shoulder joint and getting used to the feeling of grass beneath her feet again.
—
Ava Wallace,
New York Times,
30 June 2026
To some extent, the 2026 festival was a retrospective of the late twentieth century, when modernist strictures were loosening and a more expansive, pluralistic mentality was taking hold.
—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
Cambridge recently joined Boston and other Massachusetts communities in temporarily loosening its liquor laws for the World Cup and other summer celebrations.
—
Logan Hall,
CBS News,
24 June 2026
This is achieved through loosening regulations to encourage housing construction and limiting Wall Street investors' ability to buy homes that could go to families instead.
—
Lalee Ibssa,
ABC News,
23 June 2026
Garden trowel Mulch (optional) Prepare the soil by loosening it up with a garden trowel.
—
Sj McShane,
Martha Stewart,
22 June 2026
Being interruptible means loosening our grip on our tasks and plans so there's enough space for real people to get in.
—
Jen Zamzow,
CNBC,
20 June 2026
Noun
The Safety Debate That Didn’t Go Away Not everyone is convinced the loosening makes sense.
—
Allison Palmer
updated June 24,
Charlotte Observer,
24 June 2026
Although jeans may be more relaxed around the legs, there is still a case for stretch materials to provide comfort and ease as well as recovery or bounce back, preventing bagged out knees and loosening.
—
Sarah Jones,
Footwear News,
12 June 2026
Has there been any loosening of the rules for the tournament?
—
Melanie Anzidei,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
As the Union-Tribune’s Lucas Robinson noted, that money was made available by an earlier loosening of restrictions on dipping into the reserve — a policy advanced by the Board of Supervisors’ three Democrats and opposed by its two Republicans.
—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
There has been some loosening on those expectations for traditional journalists, which varies significantly by organization, beat, and medium.
—
Jeremy Saks,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
26 May 2026
Shortly thereafter, gaps between high and low performers began to grow at the national level, which many education scholars attribute both to the introduction of screens and the loosening of accountability.
—
Abby McCloskey,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2026
Long Beach, Long Island, is holding a public hearing regarding the loosening of alcohol restrictions on its iconic boardwalk.
—
Jennifer McLogan,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Chinese bonds may be reaching an historic turning point, with yields climbing from record low levels as deflationary pressures ease and expectations for monetary loosening recede.
—
Iris Ouyang,
Bloomberg,
5 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loosening
Verb
-
Iguanas are everywhere, relaxing around and even inside the pools—a further stamp of approval from nature itself.
-
But Wright was relaxing in a hammock when those words came to him; Thomson, in the stiff upholstery of the multiplex, is worse off.
Verb
-
The Tigers passed on adding Go, who has spent time in the minors with the Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres and Tigers since 2024, freeing him up to join the Twins.
-
The flywheel does not need to be replaced every 3-5 years and can be installed outdoors, freeing up more space and cash for compute.
Verb
-
SpaceX’s record-shattering IPO has minted thousands of new millionaires, unleashing a wave of high-end home shoppers poised to reshape Southern California’s already tight coastal housing markets.
-
The sociologist Max Weber foresaw the paralysis of this bureaucratization that is now unleashing a rising fury against democracy itself.
Noun
-
Once locked, the mechanical safety structure helps reduce the risk of accidental detachment.
-
What a wildly aggressive detachment from the reality of a basketball game.
Verb
-
After easing through the first three innings, Bryan Reynolds hit a double off the top of the left field fence and Valdez bombed one to left to cut the Phillies' lead to 5-2.
-
The quarter that contained that second spike closes this week, and the fund updates that follow are the next read on whether the pressure is easing or building.
Verb
-
Tianwen-1 is a Mars orbiter, lander and rover mission that successfully touched down on the red planet on May 15, 2021, releasing its Zhurong rover.
-
After releasing albums across genres, both country and dance music, there has been growing speculation that the last project in the trilogy could be a rock album.
Verb
-
Muncy unlocking even more potential at the hot corner is a big part of the Dodgers raising their defensive ceiling.
-
But after his imprisonment, Lilburne’s Proposition became the defining cause of the radical Leveller movement, which subsequently dedicated itself to unlocking all of the revolutionary possibilities lurking in the word equal.
Verb
-
Shortly after, Waldorf's placenta had trouble detaching.
-
Visual effects company Weta created the effect of Vecna’s head detaching from his body.
Cite this Entry
“Loosening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loosening. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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