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abate

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To become less strong or intense.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

uhbayt

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

əˈbeɪt

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. transitive

    To lessen (something) in force or intensity; to moderate.

  2. transitive

    To reduce (something) in amount or size.

  3. intransitive

    To decrease in force or intensity; to subside.

  4. intransitive

    To decrease in amount or size.

  5. transitive

    To lower (something) in price or value.

  6. Make less active or intense

noun

  1. uncountable

    Abatement; reduction; (countable) an instance of this.

  2. uncountable

    Deduction; subtraction; (countable) an instance of this.

  3. An Italian abbot or other member of the clergy.

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To lessen (something) in force or intensity; to moderate.

To 'abate' means to reduce in intensity or force, often referring to something negative like a storm or pain. It feels more formal and less direct than 'lessen' or 'decrease.' It implies a natural or gradual winding down.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Where you'll really hear it

  • Weather report

    “The heavy rains are expected to abate by morning.”

  • Medical context

    “The doctor hoped the medication would abate the patient's severe pain.”

  • Formal meeting

    “We need this conflict to abate before we can make progress.”

Nearby words

  • slack off , rarer, so it draws attention

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.