Lessen
verb
To make something smaller or less in amount, degree, or size.
She lessened the volume of the music as the baby fell asleep.
Often appears as...
- lessen the impact
- lessen the risk
verb
To become smaller or less in amount, degree, or size.
As the days passed, his grief lessened.
Often appears as...
- lessen considerably
- lessen drastically
verb
To make something smaller or less in amount, degree, or size.
She lessened the volume of the music as the baby fell asleep.
Often appears as...
- lessen the impact
- lessen the risk
verb
To become smaller or less in amount, degree, or size.
As the days passed, his grief lessened.
Often appears as...
- lessen considerably
- lessen drastically
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Action Oriented
Use 'lessen' when describing an intentional action to reduce something.
She took measures to lessen environmental damage.
Pro Tip 2/3Mitigate Effects
'Lessen' is often used when talking about making negative effects not as severe.
Wearing a helmet can lessen the chance of a head injury.
Pro Tip 3/3Progressive Change
Use 'lessen' to imply a gradual reduction over time, rather than immediate.
Her attention to detail lessened as she grew tired.
Pro Tip 1/3Action Oriented
Use 'lessen' when describing an intentional action to reduce something.
She took measures to lessen environmental damage.
Pro Tip 2/3Mitigate Effects
'Lessen' is often used when talking about making negative effects not as severe.
Wearing a helmet can lessen the chance of a head injury.
Pro Tip 3/3Progressive Change
Use 'lessen' to imply a gradual reduction over time, rather than immediate.
Her attention to detail lessened as she grew tired.
Pro Tip 1/3Action Oriented
Use 'lessen' when describing an intentional action to reduce something.
She took measures to lessen environmental damage.
Pro Tip 2/3Mitigate Effects
'Lessen' is often used when talking about making negative effects not as severe.
Wearing a helmet can lessen the chance of a head injury.
Pro Tip 3/3Progressive Change
Use 'lessen' to imply a gradual reduction over time, rather than immediate.
Her attention to detail lessened as she grew tired.
Compare with
curtailcut downdecreasediminishlowminimizereducetrim
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Video examples
When will the next mass...
But the same unique ability that makes humans capable of driving mass extinctions can also enable us to prevent them. By learning about past extinction events, recognizing what is happening today as environments change, and using this knowledge to lessen our effect on other species, we can transform humanity's impact on the world
Video examples
Sustainable Hockey Arena...
will changing the way we do things wearing the green hat if you will our fans want to see it our staff want to see it we want to see it how could we be easier on the planet even inside a building how can we change the way we do things to lessen the impact it means that somebody cares because otherwise you know it's way
Video examples
Does stress affect your...
It would be nice if some stress also helped us remember facts, but unfortunately, the opposite is true. The act of remembering relies on the prefrontal cortex, which governs thought, attention, and reasoning. When corticosteroids stimulate the amygdala, the amygdala inhibits, or lessens the activity of,
Video examples
How to spot a fad diet -...
lessening the diet's effect over time and resulting in a quick reversal if the diet is abandoned. So while these diets may be alluring early on, they don't guarantee long-term benefits for your health and weight. A few simple guidelines, though, can help differentiate between
Video examples
How to Discover Your...
You’ve extended grace. You’ve extended grace to someone else. And I believe that when you remove malice from your heart, not only do you feel better, you look better. I think you lose your frown lines and your wrinkles lessen and your age spots disappear.
Video examples
Robert Wright: The logic...
saying, why can't we all just get along? But hey, I don't really see any alternative, given the way I read the situation. There's going to have to be moral progress. There's going to have to be a lessening of the amount of hatred in the world,
Video examples
Stories from a home for...
which were far too few. Lars's life was brief, to be sure, mere weeks, but it was calm and comfortable. He went on hikes with his parents. The time that he spent in the pool with our aquatic therapist lessened the seizures he was experiencing
Video examples
Tracking Plastic Sea to...
what we do affects the planet in very harmful ways and that's one of the things that we need to really think about changing our everyday manners in order to lessen our impact on the natural world so National Geographic is
Video examples
Alex Tabarrok on how...
He said, "He who receives an idea from me receives instruction himself, without lessening mine. As he who lights his candle at mine receives light without darkening me." Or to put it slightly
Video examples
Sighting of a Polar Bear...
is reassuring he's showing remarkably little fear of us and now I can see better from only a few metres away he's neither lessened probably only about five years old but
Video examples
When will the next mass...
But the same unique ability that makes humans capable of driving mass extinctions can also enable us to prevent them. By learning about past extinction events, recognizing what is happening today as environments change, and using this knowledge to lessen our effect on other species, we can transform humanity's impact on the world
Video examples
Sustainable Hockey Arena...
will changing the way we do things wearing the green hat if you will our fans want to see it our staff want to see it we want to see it how could we be easier on the planet even inside a building how can we change the way we do things to lessen the impact it means that somebody cares because otherwise you know it's way
Video examples
Does stress affect your...
It would be nice if some stress also helped us remember facts, but unfortunately, the opposite is true. The act of remembering relies on the prefrontal cortex, which governs thought, attention, and reasoning. When corticosteroids stimulate the amygdala, the amygdala inhibits, or lessens the activity of,
Video examples
How to spot a fad diet -...
lessening the diet's effect over time and resulting in a quick reversal if the diet is abandoned. So while these diets may be alluring early on, they don't guarantee long-term benefits for your health and weight. A few simple guidelines, though, can help differentiate between
Video examples
How to Discover Your...
You’ve extended grace. You’ve extended grace to someone else. And I believe that when you remove malice from your heart, not only do you feel better, you look better. I think you lose your frown lines and your wrinkles lessen and your age spots disappear.
Video examples
Robert Wright: The logic...
saying, why can't we all just get along? But hey, I don't really see any alternative, given the way I read the situation. There's going to have to be moral progress. There's going to have to be a lessening of the amount of hatred in the world,
Video examples
Stories from a home for...
which were far too few. Lars's life was brief, to be sure, mere weeks, but it was calm and comfortable. He went on hikes with his parents. The time that he spent in the pool with our aquatic therapist lessened the seizures he was experiencing
Video examples
Tracking Plastic Sea to...
what we do affects the planet in very harmful ways and that's one of the things that we need to really think about changing our everyday manners in order to lessen our impact on the natural world so National Geographic is
Video examples
Alex Tabarrok on how...
He said, "He who receives an idea from me receives instruction himself, without lessening mine. As he who lights his candle at mine receives light without darkening me." Or to put it slightly
Video examples
Sighting of a Polar Bear...
is reassuring he's showing remarkably little fear of us and now I can see better from only a few metres away he's neither lessened probably only about five years old but
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Steve Zahn
American Actor
I've never had the luxury - or the nightmare - of having something just blow up and be this huge success and then have everything thrown at you. Being 'the best friend' lessens the responsibility, 'cause I can still go do another movie after something that doesn't do well.
Quote examples
William Falconer
Scottish Poet
The great weight of the ship may indeed prevent her from acquiring her greatest velocity; but when she has attained it, she will advance by her own intrinsic motion, without gaining any new degree of velocity, or lessening what she has acquired.
Quote examples
Lena Dunham
American Actress
I feel like a lot of the female relationships I see on TV or in movies are in some way free of the kind of jealousy and anxiety and posturing that has been such a huge part of my female friendships, which I hope lessens a little bit with age.
Quote examples
Stephen J. Dubner
American Journalist
Cows and other ruminants are worse polluters than all of the transportation in the world, so all of us who try to cut down our carbon footprint by lessening our transportation would do far better by just consuming less beef.
Quote examples
Ezra Taft Benson
American Leader
Mothers play an important role as the heart of the home, but this in no way lessens the equally important role fathers should play, as head of the home, in nurturing, training, and loving their children.
Quote examples
Rose Kennedy
American Author
It has been said that time heals all wounds. I don't agree. The wounds remain. Time - the mind, protecting its sanity - covers them with some scar tissue and the pain lessens, but it is never gone.
Quote examples
Samuel Richardson
English Novelist
Marriage is the highest state of friendship. If happy, it lessens our cares by dividing them, at the same time that it doubles our pleasures by mutual participation.
Quote examples
Meghan O'Rourke
American Poet
Grief is characterized much more by waves of feeling that lessen and reoccur, it's less like stages and more like different states of feeling.
Quote examples
Robert Southey
English Poet
No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth.
Quote examples
Joseph Priestley
English Scientist
What I have known with respect to myself, has tended much to lessen both my admiration, and my contempt, of others.
Quote examples
Steve Zahn
American Actor
I've never had the luxury - or the nightmare - of having something just blow up and be this huge success and then have everything thrown at you. Being 'the best friend' lessens the responsibility, 'cause I can still go do another movie after something that doesn't do well.
Quote examples
William Falconer
Scottish Poet
The great weight of the ship may indeed prevent her from acquiring her greatest velocity; but when she has attained it, she will advance by her own intrinsic motion, without gaining any new degree of velocity, or lessening what she has acquired.
Quote examples
Lena Dunham
American Actress
I feel like a lot of the female relationships I see on TV or in movies are in some way free of the kind of jealousy and anxiety and posturing that has been such a huge part of my female friendships, which I hope lessens a little bit with age.
Quote examples
Stephen J. Dubner
American Journalist
Cows and other ruminants are worse polluters than all of the transportation in the world, so all of us who try to cut down our carbon footprint by lessening our transportation would do far better by just consuming less beef.
Quote examples
Ezra Taft Benson
American Leader
Mothers play an important role as the heart of the home, but this in no way lessens the equally important role fathers should play, as head of the home, in nurturing, training, and loving their children.
Quote examples
Rose Kennedy
American Author
It has been said that time heals all wounds. I don't agree. The wounds remain. Time - the mind, protecting its sanity - covers them with some scar tissue and the pain lessens, but it is never gone.
Quote examples
Samuel Richardson
English Novelist
Marriage is the highest state of friendship. If happy, it lessens our cares by dividing them, at the same time that it doubles our pleasures by mutual participation.
Quote examples
Meghan O'Rourke
American Poet
Grief is characterized much more by waves of feeling that lessen and reoccur, it's less like stages and more like different states of feeling.
Quote examples
Robert Southey
English Poet
No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth.
Quote examples
Joseph Priestley
English Scientist
What I have known with respect to myself, has tended much to lessen both my admiration, and my contempt, of others.
Example 1 of 10
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