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Definitions for: Lessen
[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"
[v] wear off or die down; "The pain subsided"
[v] make smaller; "He decreased his staff"
Webster (1913) Definition: 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.
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.
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
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