What's the difference between lessen and lower?

Lessen


Definition:

  • (a.) To make less; to reduce; to make smaller, or fewer; to diminish; to lower; to degrade; as, to lessen a kingdom, or a population; to lessen speed, rank, fortune.
  • (v. i.) To become less; to shrink; to contract; to decrease; to be diminished; as, the apparent magnitude of objects lessens as we recede from them; his care, or his wealth, lessened.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The transmission of alcoholism and its effects are thereby lessened for future generations of children of alcoholics.
  • (2) Bacteria can stop or lessen antibodies synthesis process.
  • (3) Behavioral variables, including interreinforcement interval and drug self-administration history, appear to be important determinants of whether or not reinforcement will be demonstrated, particularly among the benzodiazepines; but the range of conditions under which behavioral and pharmacological variables interact to promote or lessen the likelihood of self-administration of these drugs remains to be determined experimentally.
  • (4) "It is in my power to lessen their sentence – it's not excluded that that will happen."
  • (5) Diminished pressor responsiveness was considered to be due to concurrent reduction of central sympathetic vasomotor activity, because sympathetic nerve responses to hypothalamic stimulation were appreciably lessened in tripamide-treated SHR.
  • (6) The introduction of biological valves or of valves with a lessened risk of embolism is highly desirable in such cases.
  • (7) In this paper, these and related facts were summarized and some precautions were suggested to lessen the increase of resistant strains in this country.
  • (8) Recent improvements in surgical techniques and selective embolization have lessened the risks of surgical excision, decreased the blood loss, and diminished the time required for resection.
  • (9) We have previously shown that in the cat, taurine is an osmoprotective molecule that lessens mortality, neurological morbidity, and brain-cell dehydration during chronic hypernatremic dehydration.
  • (10) Rats given Sendai virus concurrently with the FCA, or any time after FCA was injected, did not have a lessened severity of the arthritic reaction, as compared with that in control animals.
  • (11) A decrease in relative risks since diagnosis of the first primary cancer was seen that may partly be attributed to a lessening of the intensity of medical surveillance with time.
  • (12) Incorporation of porosity into the grafts, which is necessary for tissue ingrowth, is expected to lessen this difference.
  • (13) The data strongly suggest that conferring the sick role on the mentally ill does not lessen rejection, but may, in some instances, increase social rejection.
  • (14) In contrast, hydroxyurea treatment was associated with a 1.5-fold to sevenfold increase in F cells and a 2.3- to 27-fold increase in the percentage of Hb F. In the three patients whose response reached a plateau, hydroxyurea treatment was associated with lessened hemolysis, decreased serum bilirubin and lactate dehydrogenase levels, and prolonged 51chromium-labeled RBC survival.
  • (15) O’Malley also called for: The relationship between federal immigration law enforcement and local law enforcement to be significantly lessened.
  • (16) Utilization of outpatient surgical centers helps reduce the cost of health care, lessens the disruption of patients' personal lives, and promotes their recovery through early ambulation and a lower incidence of postoperative nosocomial complications.
  • (17) It also lessened the hypertonus of isolated guinea-pig trachea caused by pilocarpine.
  • (18) The use of tissue allografts lessens patient morbidity and suffering and in many cases spares limbs and lives.
  • (19) Unlike acute combinations, chronic imipramine lessened the rate reducing effect of methadone.
  • (20) The results of a bronchial challenge to Aspergillus species, however, remained positive; these positive results suggest that long-term memory immune mechanisms may play an important role in the pathogenesis of hypersensitivity pneumonitis and lessen the importance of precipitins in establishing a diagnosis.

Lower


Definition:

  • (a.) Compar. of Low, a.
  • (a.) To let descend by its own weight, as something suspended; to let down; as, to lower a bucket into a well; to lower a sail or a boat; sometimes, to pull down; as, to lower a flag.
  • (a.) To reduce the height of; as, to lower a fence or wall; to lower a chimney or turret.
  • (a.) To depress as to direction; as, to lower the aim of a gun; to make less elevated as to object; as, to lower one's ambition, aspirations, or hopes.
  • (a.) To reduce the degree, intensity, strength, etc., of; as, to lower the temperature of anything; to lower one's vitality; to lower distilled liquors.
  • (a.) To bring down; to humble; as, to lower one's pride.
  • (a.) To reduce in value, amount, etc. ; as, to lower the price of goods, the rate of interest, etc.
  • (v. i.) To fall; to sink; to grow less; to diminish; to decrease; as, the river lowered as rapidly as it rose.
  • (v. i.) To be dark, gloomy, and threatening, as clouds; to be covered with dark and threatening clouds, as the sky; to show threatening signs of approach, as a tempest.
  • (v. i.) To frown; to look sullen.
  • (n.) Cloudiness; gloominess.
  • (n.) A frowning; sullenness.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) These factors might account for the lower systemic bioavailability of these compounds.
  • (2) Patients with papillary carcinoma with a good cell-mediated immune response occurred with much lower infiltration of the tumor boundary with lymphocyte whereas the follicular carcinoma less cell-mediated immunity was associated with dense lymphocytic infiltration, suggesting the biological relevance of lymphocytic infiltration may be different for the two histologic variants.
  • (3) In this study of ten consecutive patients sustaining molten metal injuries to the lower extremity who were treated with excision and grafting, treatment with compression Unna paste boot was compared with that with conventional dressing.
  • (4) Propranolol resulted in a significantly lower mean hourly, mean 24 h and minimum heart rate.
  • (5) Homozygotes have sparse greasy fur and lower viability and fertility than normal littermates.
  • (6) LHRH therapy leads to higher plasma LH levels and a lower FSH in response to an intravenous LHRH test.
  • (7) On the other hand, the LAP level, identical in preterms and SDB, is lower than in full-term infants but higher than in adults.
  • (8) It is suggested that the Japanese may have lower trabecular bone mineral density than Caucasians but may also have a lower threshold for fracture of the vertebrae.
  • (9) Spontaneous locomotor activity was lower in naloxone-infused rats on day 3 only.
  • (10) After 55 days of unrestricted food availability the body weight of the neonatally deprived rats was approximately 15% lower than that of the controls.
  • (11) There is no evidence that health-maintenance organizations reduce admissions in discretionary or "unnecessary" categories; instead, the data suggest lower admission rates across the board.
  • (12) The rate of accumulation of degraded LDL products was lower in collagen gel cultures, but the final levels achieved were the same in the two substrata.
  • (13) [Ca2+]i exhibited a sigmoidal dependence on [Na+]o. Mg2+, a competitive inhibitor of Na2+-Ca2+ antiport in these cells, antagonized the increase in [Ca2+]i produced by lowering [Na+]o.
  • (14) Side effect incidence in patients treated with the paracetamol-sobrerol combination (3.7%) was significantly lower than that observed in subjects treated with paracetamol (6.1% - P less than 0.01), salicylics (25.1% - P less than 0.001), pyrazolics (12.6% - P less than 0.001), propionics (20.3%, P less than 0.001) or other antipyretics (17.9% - P less than 0.001).
  • (15) These findings suggest that clonidine transdermal disks lower blood pressure in hypertensive patients, but produce local skin lesions and general side effects.
  • (16) Diltiazem monotherapy effectively lowered blood pressure in 60% of patients at 8 weeks.
  • (17) Thus, our study confirmed that male subjects with a history of testicular maldescent have an increased risk for testis cancer, although the magnitude of this risk was lower than suggested previously.
  • (18) Anesthetized sheep (n = 6) previously prepared with a lung lymph fistula underwent 2 hr of tourniquet ischemia of both lower limbs.
  • (19) Nicardipine lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure to normal, plasma aldosterone was reduced and serum potassium levels were increased.
  • (20) The overall recoveries of activated ER following chromatography on DEAE-cellulose were significantly lower than the recoveries of the nonactivated ER, 71 and 85%, respectively.