What's the difference between lessen and shrink?

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.

Shrink


Definition:

  • (v. i.) To wrinkle, bend, or curl; to shrivel; hence, to contract into a less extent or compass; to gather together; to become compacted.
  • (v. i.) To withdraw or retire, as from danger; to decline action from fear; to recoil, as in fear, horror, or distress.
  • (v. i.) To express fear, horror, or pain by contracting the body, or part of it; to shudder; to quake.
  • (v. t.) To cause to contract or shrink; as, to shrink finnel by imersing it in boiling water.
  • (v. t.) To draw back; to withdraw.
  • (n.) The act shrinking; shrinkage; contraction; also, recoil; withdrawal.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) A shrinking populace is perhaps a greater challenge than any problems with Russia.
  • (2) "The results present a remarkably bleak portrait of life in the UK today and the shrinking opportunities faced by the bottom third of UK society," said the head of the project, Professor David Gordon of Bristol University.
  • (3) The resulting free anterior tarsal surface must be covered by a free graft to prevent tarsal shrinking.
  • (4) Sales are also shrinking in north America and Europe.
  • (5) Burst your bubble: five conservative articles to read as protests stymie Trump Read more There’s the shrinking minority of Americans who believe he’s doing a good job.
  • (6) The media are more pervasive, seeping everywhere into the vacuum left by the shrinking of the old powers.
  • (7) This increase was due to a larger radiation dose to the anoxic tumor core and to external irradiation shrinking the tumor to within the high-dose range of radium therapy.
  • (8) To make the equations of physics carry on working, Einstein showed that the length of any moving object must shrink in the direction of its travel.
  • (9) VS K influx into high K cells was transient, whereas influx into low K cells (prepared with nystatin), which are unable to shrink via K efflux, remained fully activated.
  • (10) The battle for eastern Aleppo in maps: how rebel territory is shrinking Read more Some have arrived in government-held or Kurdish-controlled territory with overstuffed suitcases and bags of their possessions, but others have come empty-handed, with only the clothes on their backs.
  • (11) According his hypothesis "the nerves were shrinking because of drying" and the treatment had to be long, prolonged bathing.
  • (12) Facebook Twitter Pinterest Bernie Sanders: I want to see major changes in the Democratic party But Clinton is still a comfortable favourite in polling at the national level and her team argued earlier that day that if she can shrink his lead to single digits in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, she will have blunted the surprise momentum that unnerved supporters when he came within a whisker of beating her in Iowa.
  • (13) Unemployment in Spain's shrinking economy now exceeds 4 million people, or almost 19% of the population, and has pushed the bank's bad loan ratio in its home market up to 3.4%.
  • (14) Ranch and management x ranch effects accounted for more of the variation in shrink than PC did.
  • (15) The Blairite rump wants more austerity and markets in public services, while their champion, Douglas Alexander, wants to "shrink" Labour's offer so the Tories and media have as little as possible to attack.
  • (16) The reality is they seem to be in denial that the Welsh budget is shrinking yet they seem to be calling for more money to be spent in practically every area.
  • (17) Should they shrink from it, the Lib Dems will reveal that they are neither liberal nor democratic.
  • (18) At the same time, the diameter of the hair cell top decreased by shrinking.
  • (19) Corticosteroid therapy for acute "shrinking lungs syndrome" in active SLE can improve symptoms and pulmonary function.
  • (20) The report does not discuss the reasons why young black people make up an ever greater proportion of the shrinking youth jail population.