lessening 1 of 2

noun

1
as in reducing

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2
as in depreciation

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lessening

2 of 2

verb

present participle of lessen
1
as in decreasing
to make smaller in amount, volume, or extent we lessened our efforts as it became clear they weren't having an effect

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2
as in diminishing
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually the pain should begin to lessen within minutes of taking the medication

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3
as in weakening
to lower in character, dignity, or quality blatant hypocrisy that lessened him in the eyes of the voters

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of lessening
Noun
The good news for the Broadway ticket buyer is that there does not necessarily appear to be a lessening in the quality of these shows, despite their quick turnaround. — Katie North, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026 Tehran blames the foreign ministry of Lebanon, particularly foreign minister Youssef Raggi, for the ‘lessening of solidarity with Iran. — Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026 While appearing radical at the time, the revamping of scientific boards to include more industry representatives, the undoing of power plant rules and the lessening of enforcement hobbled but did not completely undo the agency. — Barbara Kates-Garnick, The Conversation, 26 Aug. 2025
Verb
That strategy, designed to feed riders to trains and buses while lessening dependency on cars, led to the creation of Downtown Dadeland and clusters of towers and shops now rising around transit stations. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026 His approach sought to use technology to compensate for those shortages, lessening the burden of mobilization, which remains a sore point for Ukrainian society. — David Kirichenko, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 To push back, Julien Pouille, who leads the climate and health strategic team and is lead author of the report, argues that lessening reliance on petrochemical products would help mitigate rising medicine costs and improve the climate. — Ed Silverman, STAT, 30 July 2026 RiverLink also is included in the state’s Greater Hartford Mobility Program that lays out plans for encouraging alternate ways of getting around the region, lessening reliance on the motor vehicle. — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 26 July 2026 Parts of northern Arizona were without power Saturday as the utility serving the area initiated a safety shutoff in hopes of lessening the wildfire risk. — Ty Oneil, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026 Parts of northern Arizona were without power Saturday as the utility serving the area initiated a safety shut-off in hopes of lessening the wildfire risk. — ABC News, 27 June 2026 The utility that serves the area initiated a safety outage in hopes of lessening the risk of wildfire in that area. — Ty Oneil, Arkansas Online, 26 June 2026 What are the risks of lessening the barrier to testosterone therapy? — Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 25 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lessening
  1. reducing
  2. depreciation
  3. decreasing
  4. diminishing
  5. weakening
  6. shortening
  7. decrease
  8. subsiding
Noun
  • The long answer is that Estée Lauder’s Diamond Moisturizer is hydrating (as all moisturizers should be), firming, tightening, wrinkle-reducing, age spot-fading, and texture-smoothing.
    — Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 5 Jan. 2026
  • Moisturizing, soothing, and redness reducing, Erborian’s CC Cream is the ultimate cult-favorite beauty product.
    — Beatrice Zocchi, Vogue, 7 Oct. 2025
Definition of reducing
Noun
  • Furthermore, stocks are an amazing hedge against the long-term depreciation of fiat currencies.
    — Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The company reported preliminary underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of $3 billion for April to June.
    — Jenni Reid,Sam Meredith, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of depreciation
Verb
  • The researchers’ models suggest that areas near the escarpment could have lost as much as 8 kilometers of rock, with erosion decreasing farther away from the ancient cliff.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026
  • How Perimenopause Affects Bones and Muscle Perimenopause typically begins in a woman’s late 40s or early 50s and lasts about seven years, marked by decreasing estrogen, according to PennState Health.
    — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of decreasing
Verb
  • In the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, France's initial mediating role gave way to a pro-Armenia stance, alienating Baku and diminishing its leverage with Yerevan, which now increasingly favors the US.
    — Kamran Bokhari, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • During Anahulu Ho Emi, the third and final phase, the focus is diminishing, surrendering and reflecting.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of diminishing
Verb
  • Anderson said population and labor-force declines, along with the Bay Area’s high housing costs, are weakening both the supply of workers and demand for them in many traditional industries.
    — George Avalos, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Rather than weakening the rule, the authors recommended strengthening it by passing the Roadless Area Conservation Act, which would turn the agency regulations into federal law.
    — Dan Peck, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of weakening
Noun
  • There are methods to monitor workloads, whether by shortening starts or skipping them altogether.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Jump to Nutrition Facts Cream of tartar gives the cookies their signature snickerdoodle tang, while coconut oil mimics the flavor and texture of vegetable shortening, another traditional ingredient in snickerdoodles.
    — Emily Paster, Midwest Living, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of shortening
Noun
  • Between June 15 and July 15, officials said the cameras issued an average of 2,800 violations per day, a 26% decrease.
    — Tim Fang, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Using birdwatching and policy data from more than 2,300 counties across China, a new analysis found that areas with stricter policies enforcing solar energy development have seen decreases in bird diversity over the last 10 years.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of decrease
Verb
  • Key Background The crisis appeared to be subsiding somewhat Friday as Spanish authorities said a majority of the 60,000 people who crossed into Ceuta from Morocco over the past several days had returned home.
    — Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • India, one of the world's most prolific IPO markets, was gearing up for issues worth $50 billion as tension in the Middle East were subsiding.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 9 July 2026
Definition of subsiding

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Cite this Entry

“Lessening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lessening. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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