relaxation
Americannoun
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relaxations
plural
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abatement or relief from bodily or mental work, effort, application, etc.
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an activity or recreation that provides such relief; diversion; entertainment.
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a loosening or slackening.
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diminution or remission of strictness or severity.
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Mathematics. a numerical procedure for solving systems of equations by successive approximations of the variables.
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Physics.
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the return of a system undergoing dissipation to an initial state of equilibrium after being displaced from it.
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the approach to steady-state operation of a system that has undergone dissipation and a change in state or has been subjected to an abrupt periodic disturbance.
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noun
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rest or refreshment, as after work or effort; recreation
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a form of rest or recreation
his relaxation is cricket
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a partial lessening of a punishment, duty, etc
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the act of relaxing or state of being relaxed
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physics the return of a system to equilibrium after a displacement from this state
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maths a method by which errors resulting from an approximation are reduced by using new approximations
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of relaxation
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin relaxātiōn- (stem of relaxātiō ), equivalent to relaxāt ( us ) (past participle of relaxāre to relax; see -ate 1) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
The noun relaxation describes the act of making something less strict. If your boss announces a relaxation of the company dress code, that means lots of happy people will be wearing jeans to work. Relaxation carries many shades of meaning. It can describe being free from responsibility, like a relaxation of your usual obligations that comes while you're on vacation. The feeling of rest and peacefulness that can come from this freedom is also called relaxation. It comes from Latin: re- means "again," laxare means "loosen," and the suffix -ation means "the state of." So relaxation is the state of loosening something again.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
So if you’re in need of some relaxation this evening, my colleagues recommend:
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
A few days after the influx, a Moroccan source close to the case denied to AFP any "relaxation" at the land border crossing.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Hosted by With Love Projects, the sessions are focused on releasing tension and finding relaxation in a safe, inclusive space for LGBTQ+ community members.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Apparently, my idea of relaxation is watching markets collapse…just with better footnotes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
I looked at the guests on the platform; they sat with that alert relaxation with which they always met our upturned eyes.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
"It has a mechanical activity -- the contractions and relaxations that pump blood through our body -- coupled to an electrical signal that controls that activity."
From Science Daily ● Mar. 22, 2024
Experts have suggested a smattering of possible reasons for the increased rates, such as relaxations in social distancing and masking, increased exposure as a result of vacation travel and waning immunity from past vaccinations.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 14, 2023
UKHospitality, an industry group, said the "practical" Covid-era relaxations had helped some businesses to boost sales.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2023
While Beijing made significant relaxations to its zero-COVID policy this week, an auto industry body said on Thursday that demand was weakening faster than expected.
From Reuters ● Dec. 9, 2022
This condition of the national morals had continued to the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, with occasional relaxations, of course.
From An Introduction to the History of Japan by Katsuro Hara
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
