leavening

American  

[lev-uh-ning] / ˈlɛv ə nɪŋ /

noun

1. Also called leavening agent.  a substance used to produce fermentation in dough or batter; leaven.

2. the act or process of causing to ferment by leaven.

3. leaven.

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Etymology

Origin of leavening

First recorded in 1600–10; leaven + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

The film’s comedy won’t appeal to all tastes, but some will welcome the leavening effect it has on the movie’s more frightening aspects.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025

A corrosive rage courses through this 163-minute odyssey that’s matched by a leavening absurdism, Jude aghast at the comical stupidity of our inauthentic, greed-driven world.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2024

The friend suggested leavening the dough in his mine.

From New York Times • Aug. 20, 2022

While an ornately decorated mazanec can have the appearance of a single-layer cake, for me, it falls in the bread camp thanks to its typical use of instant yeast for leavening.

From Salon • Apr. 14, 2022

He recorded the moment in his journal, leavening his relief with the one overriding concern that had lent urgency to the work of all the atomic scientists of those years.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik