slacken

[ slak-uhn ]

verb (used with or without object)

1. to make or become less active, vigorous, intense, etc.

   Synonyms: abate, slack, loosen, relax

2. to make or become looser or less taut.

   Synonyms: abate, slack, loosen, relax

   Antonyms: tense, tighten

slacken

/ ˈslækən /

verb

1. to make or become looser
2. to make or become slower, less intense, etc

Other Words From

• un·slackened adjective
• un·slacken·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of slacken¹

First recorded in 1570–80; slack ¹ + -en ¹

Example Sentences

I let Rostam’s harness slacken.

From Literature

But there is little indication that as the weeks pass, Merchan will let the pace slacken.

From Seattle Times

And, with the tight job market starting to slacken, some predict 2024 will be the year employers finally clamp down.

From Los Angeles Times

At the start of an El Niño, the trade winds that usually whisk briskly across the surface of the tropical Pacific slacken.

From National Geographic

Once the winds slacken and the seas turn calm, Italy will resume ferrying hundreds of them to Sicily to ease the overcrowding, he told state TV.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• abate
• diminish
• loosen
• mitigate
• relent
• retard
• sag
• soften
• subside
• weaken