"loosening" in the noun sense

1. relaxation, loosening, slackening

an occurrence of control or strength weakening

"the relaxation of requirements"

"the loosening of his grip"

"the slackening of the wind"

2. loosening, laxation

the act of making something less tight

"loosening" in the verb sense

1. loosen, loose

make loose or looser

"loosen the tension on a rope"

2. relax, loosen

make less severe or strict

"The government relaxed the curfew after most of the rebels were caught"

3. relax, loosen

become less severe or strict

"The rules relaxed after the new director arrived"

4. tease, tease apart, loosen

disentangle and raise the fibers of

"tease wool"

5. untie, undo, loosen

cause to become loose

"undo the shoelace"

"untie the knot"

"loosen the necktie"

6. loosen

make less dense

"loosen the soil"

7. loosen, relax, loose

become loose or looser or less tight

"The noose loosened"

"the rope relaxed"

Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)

Princeton University "About WordNet®."
WordNet®. Princeton University. 2010.

View WordNet® License