slackening

slackening
    n 1: an occurrence of control or strength weakening; "the
         relaxation of requirements"; "the loosening of his grip";
         "the slackening of the wind" [syn: {relaxation},
         {loosening}, {slackening}]
    

Slack \Slack\, Slacken \Slack"en\, v. i. [imp. & p. p.
   {Slacked}, {Slackened}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Slacking},
   {Slackening}.] [See {Slack}, a.]
   1. To become slack; to be made less tense, firm, or rigid; to
      decrease in tension; as, a wet cord slackens in dry
      weather.
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   2. To be remiss or backward; to be negligent.
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   3. To lose cohesion or solidity by a chemical combination
      with water; to slake; as, lime slacks.
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   4. To abate; to become less violent.
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            Whence these raging fires
            Will slacken, if his breath stir not their flames.
                                                  --Milton.
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   5. To lose rapidity; to become more slow; as, a current of
      water slackens.
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   6. To languish; to fail; to flag.
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   7. To end; to cease; to desist; to slake. [Obs.]
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            That through your death your lineage should slack.
                                                  --Chaucer.
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            They will not of that firste purpose slack.
                                                  --Chaucer.
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74 Moby Thesaurus words for "slackening":
      abatement, allayment, alleviation, arrest, assuagement,
      attenuation, attrition, blunting, calming, check, damping,
      deadening, debilitation, deceleration, delay, demulsion, detention,
      devitalization, dilution, diminution, drag, dulcification, dulling,
      ease-off, ease-up, easing, effemination, enervation, enfeeblement,
      evisceration, exhaustion, extenuation, falling-off, fatigue,
      flagging, holdup, hushing, inanition, lag, languishment, leniency,
      lessening, letdown, letup, lightening, loosening, lulling,
      minus acceleration, mitigation, modulation, mollification,
      obstruction, pacification, palliation, quietening, quieting,
      reduction, relaxation, remission, retardation, retardment, setback,
      slack-up, slowdown, slowing, slowing down, slowup, softening,
      soothing, subduement, tempering, thinning, tranquilization,
      weakening