Synonyms for Lessening

Synonyms for "lessening" (140 found)

Ranked by relevance and common usage.

Closest matches (28)

Strong matches (42)

Adjective(1 words)

dampening technique

damping deadening declining decrease decreasing decrement decrescence decrescendo decrescent deduction deflation deliquescent demulsion depletion depreciation depression derogation deterioration detraction diminishing

Show 13 more words

diminishment diminuendo diminution dip disparagement dulcification dulling dwindling dyingdying offease easement easing

Noun(8 words)

decline decrementing diminish diminution diminutionsdrastically reduceddrop-off ease

Related words (70)

Noun(12 words)

easingfrench diminuerlower minimizing mitigation moderate reduce reductionspanish disminuirtaperingthin outthinning

extenuating extenuation extractionfade outfade-out falling-off hushing impairment languishing languishment leniency letdown letup lightening loosening lowering lulling miniaturization mitigating mitigation

Show 37 more words

Verb(1 words)

reduce environmental output

Choosing the right synonym

Closest matches in this entry: decrease, abate, abatement, abating, abridgment.
Sentence evidence is available for lessening, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.

Synonym selection checklist

Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "lessening".
Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.

When not to replace "lessening"

Keep "lessening" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.

If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.

Replacement workflow

1. Preserve meaning

Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "lessening" intact in the sentence you are editing.

2. Tune tone

Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.

3. Re-read context

Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.

Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.

Final fit check

After choosing a replacement for "lessening", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.

If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "lessening" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.

Related word relations

OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.

5 relation types

More general

6 entries

alteration change decrease modification process reduction

More specific

12 entries

abate abatement decline diminish drop dwindle easelessen graduallymitigation moderate shrink subside

Collocations

8 entries

gradual lesseninglessening effectlessening in intensitylessening of painlessening of symptomslessening of tensionlessening trendrate of lessening

Inflections

3 entries

lessened lessenings lessens

Derivations

1 entries

lessen

Sample sentences

3 total sentences available.

Tatoeba + Wiktionary

Never has youth been exposed to such dangers of both perversion and arrest as in our own land and day. Increasing urban life with its temptations, prematurities, sedentary occupations, and passive stimuli just when an active life is most needed, early emancipation and a lessening sense for both duty and discipline, the haste to know and do all befitting man's estate before its time, the mad rush for sudden wealth and the reckless fashions set by its gilded youth--all these lack some of the regulatives they still have in older lands with more conservative conditions.

Source: tatoeba (6395955)

Another means of silently lessening the inequality of property is to exempt all from taxation below a certain point, and to tax the higher portions of property in geometrical progression as they rise.

Source: tatoeba (7752172)

Electric vehicles are gaining attention as an option for improving air quality and lessening United States dependence on imported oil. Research and development is under way on advanced battery and fuel cell technology and automakers are stepping up efforts to design electric vehicles for fleets and personal use. While today's technology is new, battery-powered vehicles have been around for a long time. Electrics flourished before the rise of the gasoline automobile and some 50,000 electric vehicles were in use in the United States by 1912.

Source: tatoeba (12181459)

Common questions

What are the closest synonyms for "lessening"?

Closest matches include decrease, abate, abatement, abating, abridgment.

How should I check whether a synonym fits "lessening"?

Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.

Lessening