v. 25B6; verb
exercise lessens the risk of heart disease : REDUCE, make less/smaller, minimize, decrease; allay, assuage, alleviate, attenuate, palliate, ease, dull, deaden, blunt, moderate, mitigate, dampen, soften, tone down, dilute, weaken.
the pain began to lessen : GROW LESS, grow smaller, decrease, diminish, decline, subside, abate; fade, die down/off, let up, ease off, tail off, drop (off/away), fall, dwindle, ebb, wane, recede.
his behaviour lessened him in their eyes : DIMINISH, degrade, discredit, devalue, belittle.
increase.