loosen

C2+ Topic:Cause, Change & Process

US /ˈlusən/ UK /ˈluːsn/ See IPA manual

verb

Meanings

1

verb
to make or become less tight or firmly fixed

He paused to loosen his tie after the long ceremony.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to make or become less... slacken relax release undo unfasten ease free

Opposites

tighten fasten secure tense

Word family

Derived forms loosenerlooseningloosened

Related forms loose loosely unloose

Etymology

From loose (from Old Norse lauss 'free, loose', from Proto-Germanic *lausaz) + the verb-forming suffix -en.

lauss Old Norse *lausaz Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Cause, Change & Process Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

# loosen

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** ˈlusən
**IPA (UK):** ˈluːsn

## Meanings
1. to make or become less tight or firmly fixed

## Examples
- He paused to loosen his tie after the long ceremony.

## Synonyms
- slacken
- relax
- release
- undo
- unfasten
- ease
- free

## Antonyms
- tighten
- fasten
- secure
- tense

## Derived Forms
- loosener
- loosening
- loosened

## Related Forms
- loose
- loosely
- unloose

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: lauss
- Root: *lausaz

## Etymology
From loose (from Old Norse lauss 'free, loose', from Proto-Germanic *lausaz) + the verb-forming suffix -en.

## AI Etymology
Loosen comes from loose (from Old Norse lauss 'free, loose', from Proto-Germanic *lausaz) + the verb-forming suffix -en. The historical trail runs through Old Norse lauss and Proto-Germanic *lausaz. Morphologically, the surface form is analyzable into prefixes, suffixes, compounds, or participial endings that carry part of the history. In modern use it means to make or become less tight or firmly fixed. Derived formations include loosener, loosening, loosened; related forms include loose, loosely, unloose.

## Topics
- Cause, Change & Process
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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