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
The Versant-owned progressive-leaning news outlet announced Tuesday that it has entered a partnership with Calm, the San Francisco company that develops apps that help with sleep and relaxation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 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
The vacation industry has spent decades selling relaxation as the product, but a comprehensive review of 125 studies suggests travelers may be dismissing something already available on every trip: difficulty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
This brings Old Hirsch from the sofa, to supervise its making, and the smell is such a relaxation, such a memory of home that the room settles into a happy buzz of conversation.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
It's already been announced that direct flights will resume, there may be more relaxations on visas, and other economic deals.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2025
"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
A number of relaxations have been made in the restrictions Breivik is subject to, according to government lawyer Andreas Hjetland, who represents the Justice Ministry in the case, but the conditions are necessary for security.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 8, 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
Such, with the exception of tiresome promenades on Second Avenue, where her father's house was situated, such were her relaxations.
From Eden An Episode by Edgar Saltus
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.
