Lessen

Examples

• He must be gone within a few hours, though without feeling any real alarm for his aunt, to lessen his repugnance. Jane Austen. Emma.
• And it may lessen his guilt if I say that it was done in self-defence, and that John Straker was a man who was entirely unworthy of your confidence. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
• Is there anything you want that would lessen the hardship of this confinement? Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
• She lay awake very long this night, planning how to lessen the evil influence of their Milton life on her mother. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. North and South.
• Neither had anything occurred in the intelligence of their Lambton friends that could materially lessen its weight. Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice.
• His evils seemed to lessen, her own advantages to increase, their mutual good to outweigh every drawback. Jane Austen. Emma.
• There will be some risk no doubt; but we will lessen it as much as ever we can. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. North and South.
• On this principle nurserymen always prefer saving seed from a large body of plants, as the chance of intercrossing is thus lessened. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
• The dancers all lessened their speed. Thomas Hardy. The Return of the Native.
• The bumping against the door, the laughter, the stamping, were all as vigorous as ever, and the pleasure in being outside lessened considerably. Thomas Hardy. The Return of the Native.
• I found my terror gradually lessened, but my hatred and contempt seemed to increase. Jonathan Swift. Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World.
• I have hinted once or twice before, that they were very bright eyes, and, though they were tearful now, their influence was by no means lessened. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
• And then, having yourselves thus lessened our encouragement for raising sheep, you curse us for the scarcity of mutton! Benjamin Franklin. Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin.
• He had tested and weighed his convictions again and again, and saw no reason to alter them, though he had considerably lessened his plan. Thomas Hardy. The Return of the Native.
• Thus they obtained air and proper ventilation without fear of lessening the safety of their cabin. Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
• While thus lessening the cost of time-keepers their value has been enhanced by increasing their accuracy and durability. William Henry Doolittle. Inventions in the Century.
• There will be more and better light in homes; there will be more and better light in offices and factories, thus greatly lessening the chances for injury or eye-strain. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
• But, by lessening the competition of capitals in that branch of trade, it necessarily raised the rate of profit in that branch. Adam Smith. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.
• Lessening of the atmospheric pressure upon water causes its evaporation, and as the vapour is quietly absorbed by the sulphuric acid the water is quickly congealed. William Henry Doolittle. Inventions in the Century.
• Their use on many other vehicles has accomplished his objects, of lessening the power required to draw carriages, rendering the motion easier, and diminishing the noise. William Henry Doolittle. Inventions in the Century.
• I never thought of lessening the distance betwixt us, I am sure. Charles Dickens. Little Dorrit.
• Diagram showing how supplying a city with good water lessens sickness and death. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
• The tendency of iron to rust lessens its efficiency and value, and many devices have been introduced to prevent rusting. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
• The tax made upon the nervous system by the defective eye lessens the supply of energy available for other bodily use, and the general health suffers. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.

Editor: Randolph