lessening

CIDE DICTIONARY

lessening, adj. 

 becoming less in dimension or degree; as, the lessening distance between us.  [WordNet 1.5]

lessening, n. 

 a change downward; a decrease; a reduction.  [WordNet 1.5]

THESAURUS

lessening

abatement, abating, abridgment, allaying, allayment, alleviating, alleviation, analgesia, anesthesia, anesthetizing, appeasement, assuagement, assuaging, attenuation, attrition, blunting, calming, chastening, contraction, contractive, curtailment, cushioning, cut, cutting, dampening, damping, deadening, declining, decrease, decreasing, decrement, decrescence, decrescendo, decrescent, deduction, deflation, deliquescent, demulsion, depletion, depreciation, depression, derogation, detraction, diminishing, diminishment, diminuendo, diminution, dip, disparagement, dulcification, dulling, dwindling, dying, dying off, ease, easement, easing, extenuation, extraction, fade-out, falling-off, hushing, impairment, languishing, languishment, leniency, letdown, letup, lightening, loosening, lowering, lulling, miniaturization, mitigating, mitigation, modulation, mollification, numbing, on the wane, pacification, palliation, quietening, quieting, reducing, reduction, reductive, relaxation, relaxing, relief, remedy, remission, retraction, retrenchment, sagging, salving, scaling down, shortening, shrinkage, simplicity, slackening, softening, soothing, subduement, subduing, subsiding, subtraction, tempering, tranquilization, truncation, waning, weakening

ROGET THESAURUS

lessening

Decrease

N nonincrease, decrease, decrease, diminution, lessening, subtraction, reduction, abatement, declension, shrinking (contraction, ), coarctation, abridgment, extenuation, subsidence, wane, ebb, decline, ebbing, descent, decrement, reflux, depreciation, deterioration, anticlimax, mitigation, unincreased, decreased, decreasing, on the wane, a gilded halo hovering round decay, fine by degrees and beautifully less.

Contraction

N contraction, reduction, diminution, decrease of size, defalcation, decrement, lessening, shrinking, compaction, tabes, collapse, emaciation, attenuation, tabefaction, consumption, marasmus, atrophy, systole, neck, hourglass, condensation, compression, compactness, compendium, squeezing, strangulation, corrugation, astringency, astringents, sclerotics, contractility, compressibility, coarctation, inferiority in size, contracting, astringent, shrunk, contracted, strangulated, tabid, wizened, stunted, waning, neap, compact, unexpanded &c (expand), contractile, compressible, smaller &c (small).