as in softening
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of slackening
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
Verb
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
Verb
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The results suggest a broad surge in support for loosening restrictions on research into substances such as psilocybin and MDMA to probe their potential for medical use.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
13 May 2026
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Using a butter knife, remove thin outer membrane on back of ribs by loosening and pulling it off; discard.—
Jasmine Smith,
Southern Living,
9 May 2026
Verb
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The Crusaders’ block added five solo stuffs in the third game, slowing down Herzer and Fleming while also giving the home team some momentum.—
Justin Vigil Zuniga,
Daily News,
10 May 2026
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With economic activity slowing and rates still high, more Russian companies have missed debt payments.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
Adjective
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Gold rose on Tuesday, but remained on track for its steepest monthly decline since October 2008, as persistent inflation worries and expectations of higher interest rates due to the impact of the Iran war weighed on the non-yielding metal.—
Ashitha Shivaprasad,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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The prospect of higher interest rates as a result of the war could boost government bonds among investors, at the expense of non-yielding precious metals, market strategists told CNBC recently.—
Joseph Wilkins,Hugh Leask,
CNBC,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This prevents the anti-lock braking system (ABS) module from running a brake pad self-adjustment routine that can contribute to the battery drain.—
Hartford Courant,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
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And because there can only be an electric motor at the rear axle, not the front—supposedly out of fear that new entrant Audi would have too much of an advantage—cars could regenerate just a fraction of the total energy possible under braking.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slackening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slackening. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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