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Decrease vs Lessen - What's the difference?

decrease | lessen |

Lessen is a synonym of decrease.



In intransitive terms the difference between decrease and lessen

is that decrease is of a quantity, to become smaller while lessen is to become less.

In transitive terms the difference between decrease and lessen

is that decrease is to make (a quantity) smaller while lessen is to make less; to diminish; to reduce.

As a noun decrease

is an amount by which a quantity is decreased.

decrease

English

Verb

(decreas)
  • Of a quantity, to become smaller.
  • To make (a quantity) smaller.

    • Synonyms

    * (become smaller) drop, fall, go down, plummet (rapidly), plunge (rapidly), reduce, shrink, sink * (make smaller) abate, cut, decrement, lower, reduce

    Antonyms

    * (become larger) go up, grow, increase, rise, soar (rapidly), shoot up (rapidly) * (make larger) increase, increment, raise, up (informal)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An amount by which a quantity is decreased.
  • (knitting) A reduction in the number of stitches, usually accomplished by suspending the stitch to be decreased from another existing stitch or by knitting it together with another stitch. See .

    • Synonyms

    * (amount by which a quantity is decreased) cut, decrement, drop, fall, loss, lowering, reduction, shrinkage

    Antonyms

    * (amount by which a quantity is decreased) gain, increase, increment, raise , rise

    Anagrams

    * English ergative verbs English heteronyms 1000 English basic words

    lessen

    English

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To make less; to diminish; to reduce.
  • * Calamy
    • Charity shall lessen his punishment.
  • * Atterbury
    • St. Paul chose to magnify his office when ill men conspired to lessen it.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2011 , date=December 16 , author=Denis Campbell , title=Hospital staff 'lack skills to cope with dementia patients' , work=Guardian citation , page= , passage=Many hospitals have not taken simple steps to lessen the distress and confusion which dementia sufferers' often feel on being somewhere so unfamiliar – such as making signs large and easy to read, using colour schemes to help patients find their way around unfamiliar wards and not putting family mementoes such as photographs nearby.}}
  • To become less.

    • Anagrams

    * * English ergative verbs ----