Dictionary.com
definitions

relax

[ ri-laks ]
/ rɪˈlæks /
||

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

RELATED CONTENT

Is It Ever OK To Say “Didja”?Didja ever think that there are ways of speaking that feel perfectly comfortable . . . but that would seem wrong if you wrote them down? Sorta like the way this sentence is written. Lemme tell you ‘bout this very phenomenon, relaxed pronunciation. Pronunciation is defined as “the conventional patterns of treatment of the sound and stress patterns of a syllable or word.” Relaxed pronunciation, …
READ MORE
Stop Pettifogging And Take This Word Of The Day QuizA regina such as yourself deserves to relax with this week's Word of the Day Quiz. | March 4 – 10, 2019
READ MORE

Nearby words

  1. relativity,
  2. relativize,
  3. relator,
  4. relatum,
  5. relaunch,
  6. relaxant,
  7. relaxant reversal,
  8. relaxation,
  9. relaxation oscillator,
  10. relaxation suture

Origin of relax

1350–1400; Middle English relaxen < Latin relaxāre to stretch out again, loosen, equivalent to re- re- + laxāre to loosen, derivative of laxus slack, lax
SYNONYMS FOR relax
1, 6. loosen, slacken. 2. mitigate, weaken, lessen, reduce. 4. ease. 6. unbend. 7. relent, soften.
ANTONYMS FOR relax
1, 6. tighten, tense.
Related formsre·lax·a·tive, re·lax·a·tory [ri-lak-suh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /rɪˈlæk səˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, adjectivere·lax·er, nouno·ver·re·lax, verbun·re·lax·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for relaxer

  • Your collecting box, if a zinc one, may also be used as a relaxer.

    Butterflies and Moths|William S. Furneaux
British Dictionary definitions for relaxer

relaxer

/ (rɪˈlæksə) /

noun

a person or thing that relaxes, esp a substance used to straighten curly hair

relax

/ (rɪˈlæks) /

verb

to make (muscles, a grip, etc) less tense or rigid or (of muscles, a grip, etc) to become looser or less rigid
(intr) to take rest or recreation, as from work or efforton Sundays, she just relaxes; she relaxes by playing golf
to lessen the force of (effort, concentration, etc) or (of effort) to become diminished
to make (rules or discipline) less rigid or strict or (of rules, etc) to diminish in severity
(intr) (of a person) to become less formal; unbend
Derived Formsrelaxable, adjectiverelaxed, adjectiverelaxedly (rɪˈlæksɪdlɪ), adverb

Word Origin for relax

C15: from Latin relaxāre to loosen, from re- + laxāre to loosen, from laxus loose, lax
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for relaxer

relax

v.

late 14c., "to make (something) less compact or dense," from Old French relaschier "set free; soften; reduce" (14c.), from Latin relaxare "relax, loosen, open, stretch out, widen again; make loose," from re- "back" (see re-) + laxare "loosen," from laxus "loose" (see lax). Of persons, "to become less formal," from 1837. Meaning "decrease tension" is from early 15c.; intransitive sense of "to become less tense" is recorded from 1935. Related: Relaxed; relaxing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for relaxer

relax

[ rĭ-lăks′ ]

v.

To make or become lax or loose.
To relieve or become relieved from tension or strain.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.