Verb

(en verb)

To become less severe or intense; to become less hard, harsh, or cruel; to soften in temper; to become more mild and tender; to feel compassion.

He relented of his plan to murder his opponent, and decided just to teach him a lesson instead.

I did, I suppose, hope that she might finally relent a little and make some conciliatory response or other. (from "The Remains of the Day"? by Kazuo Ishiguro)

* Shakespeare

Can you behold / My sighs and tears, and will not once relent ?

To slacken; to abate.

We waited for the storm to relent before we ventured outside.

He will not relent in his effort to reclaim his victory.

(obsolete) To lessen, make less severe or fast.

* 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , III.iv:

But nothing might relent her hastie flight; / So deepe the deadly feare of that foule swaine / Was earst impressed in her gentle spright [...].

(dated) To become less rigid or hard; to soften; to yield; to dissolve; to melt; to deliquesce.

* Boyle

[Salt of tartar] placed in a cellar will begin to relent .

* Alexander Pope

When opening buds salute the welcome day, / And earth, relenting , feels the genial ray.

Verb

(es)

To calm down.

To make something loose.

to relax''' a rope or cord; to '''relax the muscles or sinews

* Milton

Horror all his joints relaxed .

To become loose.

To make something less severe or tense.

to relax''' discipline; to '''relax one's attention or endeavours

To become less severe or tense.

To make something (such as codes and regulations) more lenient.

* Jonathan Swift

The stature of mortmain was at several times relaxed by the legislature.

{{quote-book

, year=1953 , author=Edward Corwin , title=The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation , chapter=Section 2. Jurisdiction citation , page=589 , passage=The Court rejected the contention that the doctrine of sovereign immunity should be relaxed as inapplicable to suits for specific relief as distinguished from damage suits, saying: "The Government, as representative of the community as a whole, cannot be stopped in its tracks by any plaintiff who presents a disputed question of property or contract right."}}

(of codes and regulations) To become more lenient.

To relieve (something) from stress.

Amusement relaxes the mind.

(dated) To relieve from constipation; to loosen; to open.

An aperient relaxes the bowels.