lessen
Americanverb (used without object)
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lessens,
present (3rd person singular)
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lessened,
past participle, past
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lessening
present participle
verb (used with object)
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lessens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lessened,
past participle, past
-
lessening
present participle
-
to make less; reduce.
-
Archaic. to represent as less; depreciate; disparage.
verb
-
to make or become less
-
(tr) to make little of
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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lessensimple
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lessenssimple
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have lessenedperfect
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has lessenedperfect
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am lesseningprogressive
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are lesseningprogressive
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is lesseningprogressive
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have been lesseningperfect progressive
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has been lesseningperfect progressive
Past
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lessenedsimple
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had lessenedperfect
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was lesseningprogressive
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were lesseningprogressive
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had been lesseningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of lessen
First recorded in 1300–50; late Middle English lessenen, lasnen; equivalent to less + -en 1
Explanation
To lessen is to make smaller, to reduce, or to weaken. A high school football coach might try to lessen head injuries by improving the quality of the team's helmets. If your cold symptoms lessen, it means you're sneezing and coughing much less and can probably go to school. If the value of your Pez collection lessens, it means those plastic candy dispensers can't be sold for quite as much money on eBay. And your friend might recommend that you take a yoga class or learn to meditate, especially if she thinks you should lessen your stress and anxiety.
Vocabulary lists containing lessen
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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:
That’s why artificial intelligence doesn’t lessen the value of my education.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
One theory is that the vaccine helps lessen the inflammation brought on by the virus, potentially through interleukin-6, a protein involved in the body’s inflammatory response, according to Hirsh.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
And Mr. Knight is also superb as James tries to muffle his own fears the better to lessen his wife’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Vallejo said the four-day summer camp held in September in the San Bernardino Mountains is part of the effort to lessen those risks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
He learned, while breathing in, to quiet his heartbeat, learned to lessen his heartbeats, until there were few and hardly any more.
From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse
“That really lessens our risk. You can rebuild savings accounts.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
Further spikes of heat are likely, however as August wears on and the sun gradually loses some of its intensity, the likelihood of extreme temperatures in the high 30s lessens.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
It creates multiple pathways for energy to move through the system, reduces wasted power, and lessens the strain on the resonator.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 10, 2026
“I don’t think that us having dudes sit down lessens any chances that we have — any motivation or confidence — to win the game,” Gadsden said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 3, 2026
As I laugh with them, the churning inside me lessens.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
From a product standpoint, PayPal has pushed passkey verification, which it said has lessened friction customers experience at checkout.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Ultimately, if England are able to control the tempo of the game, dominating the ball for large parts, they will be hoping that the time they spend close to their own goal will be lessened.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
None of the controversies have lessened Brandy Melville’s appeal among its target audience, for whom the clothes are often a sign of social status.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
In both cases, arginine treatment reduced the accumulation of Aβ and lessened its harmful effects.
From Science Daily ● May 4, 2026
The farther I went, the more the tumult behind me lessened.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
“While global inventories have been drawing down, the market still seems focused on lessening demand and gradual supply being added.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Yes, it’s too high, he says, but he suggests that his housing plan will deploy a trickle-down approach that starts with lessening landlords’ risks and costs and thus encourages them to build more.
From Slate ● Jun. 3, 2026
It called for individual states to implement their own arrangements to accommodate for heatwaves and travel disruption while lessening the impact on the economy.
From BBC ● May 9, 2026
What matters now is whether oil comes down and stays there, taking the pressure off inflation and lessening the need for interest-rate hikes, said Privorotsky.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 8, 2026
Warmth spread from that point throughout his body, calming him, lessening the pain.
From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner
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.
