Impair vs Lessen - What's the difference?
impair | lessen |
To weaken; to affect negatively; to have a diminishing effect on.
(archaic) To grow worse; to deteriorate.
To make less; to diminish; to reduce.
* Calamy
* Atterbury
* {{quote-news
, year=2011
, date=December 16
, author=Denis Campbell
, title=Hospital staff 'lack skills to cope with dementia patients'
, work=Guardian
To become less.
In lang=en terms the difference between impair and lessen
is that impair is to weaken; to affect negatively; to have a diminishing effect on while lessen is to become less.As verbs the difference between impair and lessen
is that impair is to weaken; to affect negatively; to have a diminishing effect on while lessen is to make less; to diminish; to reduce.As an adjective impair
is (obsolete) not fit or appropriate.impair
English
Alternative forms
* (l) (qualifier)Verb
(en verb)- (Milton)
Derived terms
* (l)External links
* * * ----lessen
English
Verb
(en verb)- Charity shall lessen his punishment.
- St. Paul chose to magnify his office when ill men conspired to lessen it.
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.}}