lessen
Americanverb (used without object)
-
lessens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lessened,
past participle, past
-
lessening
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
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
-
lessenssimple
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have lessenedperfect
-
has lessenedperfect
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am lesseningprogressive
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are lesseningprogressive
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is lesseningprogressive
-
have been lesseningperfect progressive
-
has been lesseningperfect progressive
Past
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lessenedsimple
-
had lessenedperfect
-
was lesseningprogressive
-
were lesseningprogressive
-
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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Road Trip Magical Mystery List A
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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:
Tens of thousands of customers in Los Angeles county alone were without power, as authorities de-energized power lines in a bid to lessen the possibility of electrical sparks that the heavy wind gusts could carry.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
It’s testing eloralintide and its GLP-1 pill Foundayo to see if either can lessen osteoarthritis pain.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Soon, the #MeToo era would lessen the stigma of coming forward.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Auto lovers have pushed for years to lessen emissions regulations for collector cars, arguing that these vintage vehicles are only driven short distances to parades and meet-ups where they deserve to be seen and cherished.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Finally, when the sky grew dark, Sister Gladys gave her an injection to make her sleep and to lessen the pain of the broken wrist.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
“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
Maybe it lessens the phantom pain of not having that piece of himself on his shoulder.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
That lessens the likelihood the central bank will cut interest rates and, coupled with the recent jobs report, raises the prospect of “stagflation” — weak growth and higher inflation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
I feel like hating him while I work with him lessens my betrayal of Tobias somehow.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
The obdurate side of the character is lessened with a gesture Antíkona bestows on Ixmene — a reassurance that even though she’s a revolutionary, she’s still an affectionate sister.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
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
But it only made No. 110 in the ranking, weighed down by lower scores on AI readiness, talent readiness and resilience that lessened the impact of good scores on innovation and financial fitness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
In fact the whole tendency to dualism that pervades human thinking may be found to be lessened, or changed, on Winter.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Anderson cited Saavedra’s “prompt and extensive cooperation” as a factor in lessening the sentence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
When popular teams play on Sunday afternoon, they are more likely to land in the late-afternoon window, where games often receive broad national distribution, lessening the need for the service.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
When it comes to our kids, our quest for optimization is not so much lessening anxiety as feeding it.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
Shares of banks, airlines, retailers and other industries that had struggled since February have started breaking higher, lessening the market’s dependence on hot tech stocks and catching the attention of chart-watching technical strategists.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
Gradually, more from a lessening of strength than from peace of soul, his sobs ceased and he lay on his back, staring at the ceiling.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
