as in loose
not tightly fastened, tied, or stretched
the loosened nuts finally dropped off of the screws
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in relaxed
to make less taut
the lead climber loosened the climbing rope so that the other climber could have more room to maneuver
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in freed
to set free (as from slavery or confinement)
the dog ran after the squirrel after he was loosened from the post
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unleashed
to set free (from a state of being held in check)
once he got to know us better, his inhibitions loosened a bit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of loosened
Bloomberg, Oc Register, 24 Feb. 2026
Next, carefully remove the bowl from the microwave and use a microfiber cloth to wipe away all the loosened grime.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Aug. 2025
The board’s Budget and Legislative Analyst said the loosened contracting rules could apply to more than $1 billion in government spending.
—J.d. Morris, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 Jan. 2025
Dawn Chan, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
Plus, the straps can be tightened or loosened to your liking.
—Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
His hands of steel loosened my back with oils, and various stones like hot and salt.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
For Americans chasing a Canadian passport, the rules may have loosened but the red tape hasn’t.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
The day when everything around her began to shake and the lumps that embraced her loosened their grip and the tool tossed her through the air, she was spared from being sliced in two by the metal edge.
—María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
Legislation in 2018 loosened some very-large-though-not-huge banks from stricter oversight, and when Silicon Valley Bank failed in 2023, the federal government bailed it out.
—Ganesh Sitaraman, Time, 26 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, the administration has given billions of dollars in tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy and loosened regulations on banks while easing rules around cryptocurrency.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
The study found an increase in crash rates among drivers between 65 to 74 in states that loosened their policies.
—Joel Rose, NPR, 23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
For now, though, Detroit’s automakers are leaning into the lucre that comes from selling millions of fossil-fuel vehicles in a rare moment of loosened regulation.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 24 Feb. 2026
Next, carefully remove the bowl from the microwave and use a microfiber cloth to wipe away all the loosened grime.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Aug. 2025
The board’s Budget and Legislative Analyst said the loosened contracting rules could apply to more than $1 billion in government spending.
—J.d. Morris, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 Jan. 2025
Verb
As crises have accumulated in the decade since, the hoodie’s tight connection to anti-Black violence seems to have loosened.
—Dawn Chan, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
Plus, the straps can be tightened or loosened to your liking.
—Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
His hands of steel loosened my back with oils, and various stones like hot and salt.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
For Americans chasing a Canadian passport, the rules may have loosened but the red tape hasn’t.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
The day when everything around her began to shake and the lumps that embraced her loosened their grip and the tool tossed her through the air, she was spared from being sliced in two by the metal edge.
—María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
Legislation in 2018 loosened some very-large-though-not-huge banks from stricter oversight, and when Silicon Valley Bank failed in 2023, the federal government bailed it out.
—Ganesh Sitaraman, Time, 26 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, the administration has given billions of dollars in tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy and loosened regulations on banks while easing rules around cryptocurrency.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
The study found an increase in crash rates among drivers between 65 to 74 in states that loosened their policies.
—Joel Rose, NPR, 23 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loosened
Adjective
-
They are won or lost on the ability to come up with loose balls.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Vivian, who is in her thirties, wore a black baseball cap, loose sweats, and a thick fur coat twice her size.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The service Staff are relaxed, friendly, and highly amenable—no request is too outlandish.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Plus, the side slits keep the shirt relaxed without looking too boxy on smaller frames.—
Aashna Gheewalla,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That’s freed up the large teams once dedicated to data entry and cleaning, many of whom have been redeployed onto building internal evaluations.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The girl reportedly freed herself and knocked on a nearby neighbor's door, where she was brought inside to safety.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Frey unleashed his five-pitch arsenal, thwarting the Spartans most of the way.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
But the War on Terror persisted and mutated into nightmares in Iraq and Afghanistan, and then Syria, which unleashed that darkness in the form of terrorist states and a refugee crisis that spread anti-Muslim and anti-migrant hatred to Europe, the United States, and beyond.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Having replaced McGinn, Sancho was still settling into the game’s pace, but was markedly slack in possession.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
That’s why trains have a trick called slack action.—
Rhett Allain,
Wired News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
It's eased the way to deport migrants to countries other than their own.—
Ximena Bustillo,
NPR,
25 Apr. 2026
-
BigXthaPlug brought big energy to Stagecoach on Friday, as the afternoon sun eased into the early evening.—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That would mark the first withdrawal under this tool since February 2025, according to Bloomberg calculations based on the operation plan released late on Friday.—
Bloomberg,
Bloomberg,
27 Apr. 2026
-
His name and the name of the suspect in the shooting have not yet been released by police.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Rockets were unnerved and eventually undone.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Around his house this week were projects, some complete, others stopped in progress, left undone in his absence.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Loosened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loosened. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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