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Meaning of LESSEN

Pronunciation:  'lesun

WordNet Dictionary
 
 Definition: 
  1. [v]  decrease in size, extent, or range; "The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester"; "The cabin pressure fell dramatically"; "her weight fall to under a hundred pounds"; "his voice fell to a whisper"
  2. [v]  wear off or die down; "The pain subsided"
  3. [v]  make smaller; "He decreased his staff"
 
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 Synonyms: decrease, diminish, fall, minify, subside
 
 Antonyms: increase
 
 See Also: abate, abbreviate, abridge, alter, belittle, boil down, break, bring down, change, change magnitude, circumscribe, concentrate, confine, contract, cut, cut back, cut down, decline, decoct, decrescendo, de-escalate, deflate, depreciate, devaluate, devalue, die away, drop off, dwindle, dwindle away, dwindle down, ease off, ease up, flag, fly, foreshorten, go down, let up, limit, lour, lower, minimise, minimize, mitigate, pare, pare down, reduce, relax, shorten, shrink, shrivel, shrivel up, slack, slack off, slack up, slacken, slacken off, slake, step down, taper, thin out, trim, trim back, trim down, turn down, undervalue, vanish, wane, weaken, wither

 

 

Webster's 1913 Dictionary
 
 Definition: 
  1. \Less"en\ (l[e^]s"'n), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Lessened}
    (-'nd); p. pr. & vb. n. {Lessening}.] [From {Less}, a.]
    To make less; to reduce; to make smaller, or fewer; to
    diminish; to lower; to degrade; as, to lessen a kingdom, or a
    population; to lessen speed, rank, fortune.
          Charity . . . shall lessen his punishment. --Calamy.
          St. Paul chose to magnify his office when ill men
          conspired to lessen it.                  --Atterbury.
    Syn: To diminish; reduce; abate; decrease; lower; impair;
         weaken; degrade.
    
  2. \Less"en\, v. i.
    To become less; to shrink; to contract; to decrease; to be
    diminished; as, the apparent magnitude of objects lessens as
    we recede from them; his care, or his wealth, lessened.
          The objection lessens much, and comes to no more than
          this: there was one witness of no good reputation.
                                                   --Atterbury.
    
 
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Thesaurus Terms
 
 Related Terms: abate, ablate, abrade, abridge, abstract, allay, alleviate, allow for, amputate, anesthetize, appease, assuage, attemper, bank the fire, bate, be eaten away, benumb, blunt, chasten, clip, close, color, compress, constrain, consume, consume away, control, corrode, crop, crumble, curtail, cushion, cut, cut back, cut down, damp, dampen, deaden, deaden the pain, decline, decrease, deduct, de-emphasize, deflate, deliquesce, depreciate, depress, derogate, detract, die away, diminish, disparage, dive, downgrade, downplay, drain, drop, drop off, dull, dwindle, ease, ease matters, eat away, ebb, erode, extenuate, extract, fall, fall away, fall off, file away, foment, give relief, gloss over, ignore, impair, keep within bounds, languish, lay, leach, lenify, let up, lighten, lower, lull, make allowance for, melt away, mince, minify, mitigate, moderate, modulate, mollify, numb, obtund, pad, palliate, pare, play down, plummet, plunge, poultice, pour balm into, pour oil on, purify, reduce, reduce the temperature, refine, relieve, remove, restrain, retrench, roll back, rub away, run low, sag, salve, scale down, shorten, shrink, simplify, sink, slacken, slake, slow down, slur over, smother, sober, sober down, soften, soft-pedal, soothe, step down, stifle, stupe, subduct, subdue, subside, subtract, suppress, tail off, take away, take from, tame, temper, thin, thin out, tone down, truncate, tune down, underplay, varnish, wane, waste, waste away, weaken, wear, wear away, weed, whitewash, withdraw
 

 

 

 

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