RELAX

relax, unstrain, unlax, loosen up, unwind, make relaxed

(verb) cause to feel relaxed; “A hot bath always relaxes me”

relax, loosen up, unbend, unwind, decompress, slow down

(verb) become less tense, rest, or take one’s ease; “He relaxed in the hot tub”; “Let’s all relax after a hard day’s work”

loosen, relax, loose

(verb) become loose or looser or less tight; “The noose loosened”; “the rope relaxed”

relax, unbend

(verb) make less taut; “relax the tension on the rope”

slack, slacken, slack up, relax

(verb) make less active or fast; “He slackened his pace as he got tired”; “Don’t relax your efforts now”

relax, loosen

(verb) become less severe or strict; “The rules relaxed after the new director arrived”

relax, loosen

(verb) make less severe or strict; “The government relaxed the curfew after most of the rebels were caught”

relax, loosen up

(verb) become less tense, less formal, or less restrained, and assume a friendlier manner; “our new colleague relaxed when he saw that we were a friendly group”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Verb

relax (third-person singular simple present relaxes, present participle relaxing, simple past and past participle relaxed)

(transitive) To calm down.

(transitive) To make something loose.

(intransitive) To become loose.

(transitive) To make something less severe or tense.

(intransitive) To become less severe or tense.

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

(intransitive, of codes and regulations) To become more lenient.

(transitive) To relieve (something) from stress.

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

Antonyms

• stress, excite

Anagrams

• laxer, raxle

Source: Wiktionary


Re*lax" (r-lks"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Relaxed (-lkst"); p. pr. & vb. n. Relaxing.] Etym: [L. relaxare; pref. re- re- + laxare to loose, to slacken, from laxus loose. See Lax, and cf. Relay, n., Release.]

1. To make lax or loose; to make less close, firm, rigid, tense, or the like; to slacken; to loosen; to open; as, to relax a rope or cord; to relax the muscles or sinews. Horror . . . all his joints relaxed. Milton. Nor served it to relax their serried files. Milton.

2. To make less severe or rogorous; to abate the stringency of; to remit in respect to strenuousness, esrnestness, or effort; as, to relax discipline; to relax one's attention or endeavors. The stature of mortmain was at several times relaxed by the legilature. Swift.

3. Hence, to relieve from attention or effort; to ease; to recreate; to divert; as, amusement relaxes the mind.

4. To relieve from constipation; to loosen; to open; as, an aperient relaxes the bowels.

Syn.

– To slacken; loosen; loose; remit; abate; mitigate; ease; unbend; divert.

Re*lax", v. i.

1. To become lax, weak, or loose; as, to let one's grasp relax. His knees relax with toil. Pope.

2. To abate in severity; to become less rigorous. In others she relaxed again, And governed with a looser rein. Prior.

3. To remit attention or effort; to become less diligent; to unbend; as, to relax in study.

Re*lax", n.

Definition: Relaxation. [Obs.] Feltham.

Re**lax", a.

Definition: Relaxed; lax; hence, remiss; careless.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

23 November 2024

THEORETICAL

(adjective) concerned primarily with theories or hypotheses rather than practical considerations; “theoretical science”


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