1
as in to loosen
to make less taut
you'll need to slacken the rope a bit to get it free of that post
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to slow
to cause to move or proceed at a less rapid pace
drivers need to slacken their speed as they approach the sharp curve
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of slacken
After analyzing participants’ DNA with epigenetic clocks, Bischoff-Ferrari and her colleagues found that omega-3 fatty acids actually slackened aging at the biological level, regardless of participants’ body mass index (BMI), age, and gender.
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Brian Mastroianni, Health, 12 Mar. 2025
Quality stocks have slackened even as speculative ones have buckled.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 8 Mar. 2025
The jokes of both the verbal and visual variety flow fast and furious, the pace never slackening throughout the feature-length running time.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Natalia’s seething, building jealousy is the driving force of tension in a mood piece that never slackens over 95 minutes, despite the relative lightness of its plotting.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slacken
Brian Mastroianni, Health, 12 Mar. 2025
Quality stocks have slackened even as speculative ones have buckled.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 8 Mar. 2025
The jokes of both the verbal and visual variety flow fast and furious, the pace never slackening throughout the feature-length running time.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Natalia’s seething, building jealousy is the driving force of tension in a mood piece that never slackens over 95 minutes, despite the relative lightness of its plotting.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slacken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slacken
Verb
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Her avocados, for instance, are almost always halved, loosened from the skin, which remains to protect the fruit, then sliced, drizzled with lemon or lime juice and seasoned with salt, pepper and often chopped chives.—
Laurie Ochoa,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2025
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Missing or loosened stones create tripping hazards, and city workers must frequently be dispatched to carry out repairs.—
Lilit Marcus,
CNN Money,
24 May 2025
Verb
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As mentioned, early mirrorless cameras were on the slow side for focus, which led to slow burst rates.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
20 May 2025
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Eating less protein may slow the progression of kidney disease.—
Lindsey DeSoto,
Health,
20 May 2025
Verb
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The analysis found that Simpson tried to brake and steer to the right, but her vehicle struck the rear of the tractor-trailer, state police wrote.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
15 May 2025
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The control system is able to brake the rotors by running the motors backwards as generators, and the resulting torque is enough to effect a change in blade pitch.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slacken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slacken. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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