lessen

verb

less·​en ˈle-sᵊn How to pronounce lessen (audio)
lessened; lessening ˈle-sᵊn-iŋ How to pronounce lessen (audio)
ˈles-niŋ
Synonyms of lessennext

intransitive verb

: to shrink in size, number, or degree : decrease
The pain will lessen over time.

transitive verb

1
: to reduce in size, extent, or degree
lessen tensions between nations
2
a
archaic : to represent as of little value
b
: to lower in status or dignity : degrade

Synonyms of lessen

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
Choose the Right Synonym for lessen

decrease, lessen, diminish, reduce, abate, dwindle mean to grow or make less.

decrease suggests a progressive decline in size, amount, numbers, or intensity.

slowly decreased the amount of pressure

lessen suggests a decline in amount rather than in number.

has been unable to lessen her debt

diminish emphasizes a perceptible loss and implies its subtraction from a total.

his visual acuity has diminished

reduce implies a bringing down or lowering.

you must reduce your caloric intake

abate implies a reducing of something excessive or oppressive in force or amount.

the storm abated

dwindle implies progressive lessening and is applied to things growing visibly smaller.

their provisions dwindled slowly

Examples of lessen in a Sentence

Medication helps lessen the severity of the symptoms. we lessened our efforts as it became clear they weren't having an effect
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But to help lessen the immediate impact of the Save A Lot closures, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced a partnership between United Way of Metropolitan Chicago and Lyft to provide free round-trip rides to grocery stores in the city. — Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026 Unlike wages and salaries to employees, draws do not lessen the amount of income subject to income or self-employment taxes. — Allbusiness, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 Still, the lack of strong depth in the Phillies’ system may have lessened their ability to make deals such as those listed above. — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 Your shoulders, ears and hips should be aligned, which lessens the pressure on your lumbar vertebrae. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 31 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for lessen

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of lessen was in the 14th century

Rhymes for lessen

See All Rhymes for lessen

Browse Nearby Words

lessee
lessen
Lesseps
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lessen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lessen. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

lessen

verb
less·​en ˈles-ᵊn How to pronounce lessen (audio)
lessened; lessening ˈles-niŋ How to pronounce lessen (audio)
-ᵊn-iŋ
: to make or become less

More from Merriam-Webster on lessen

Nglish: Translation of lessen for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nurture

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All