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)
-
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
-
have been lesseningperfect progressive
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has been lesseningperfect progressive
Past
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lessenedsimple
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had lessenedperfect
-
was lesseningprogressive
-
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
Going Down: Synonyms for "Fall"
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Chop Chop: Synonyms for "Cut"
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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:
The CMA gave interested parties the opportunity to comment on the deal over potential concerns about whether it could lessen competition in the market.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Gas allows SpaceX to move quickly, and success could lessen its need for ground infrastructure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
I rotated among brands to lessen the likelihood that these additives would heavily influence my results.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Washing or peeling can lessen the risk of infection, but cooking food to at least 158 degrees reliably kills Cyclospora.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
But what I knew to be practical advice didn’t lessen my disappointment at not being able to watch Ernie march triumphantly to the stage to receive that diploma.
From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals
Maybe it lessens the phantom pain of not having that piece of himself on his shoulder.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
As Microsoft’s control over OpenAI lessens, OpenAI has been strengthening its relationship with Amazon.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 13, 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
But the problem is that there are good safety reasons for allowing the 350kw super-clip, as it lessens the need for another energy-harvesting strategy known as lift and coast.
From BBC ● Mar. 29, 2026
Afterward she might want to lie down and rest, but she can always talk to me and her wheezing always lessens.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
From a product standpoint, PayPal has pushed passkey verification, which it said has lessened friction customers experience at checkout.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 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 both cases, arginine treatment reduced the accumulation of Aβ and lessened its harmful effects.
From Science Daily ● May 4, 2026
Since then, the stigma surrounding bargain stores has lessened for both customers and brands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2026
Then, as the angle of incline lessened, as the mound— the hill—flattened, nearing the bottom, the sled’s forward motion slowed.
From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
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 is one way of lessening that stressful situation of putting out a game, especially for a smaller studio with fewer people to test it.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 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
But Kail’s fleet maneuvers keep the production from bogging down without lessening the emotional combustion that is the source of the playwright’s lasting genius.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2025
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.
