Relax \Re*lax"\, n.
   Relaxation. [Obs.] --Feltham.
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	Relax \Re**lax"\, a.
   Relaxed; lax; hence, remiss; careless.
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	Relax \Re*lax"\ (r?-l?ks"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Relaxed
   (-l?kst"); p. pr. & vb. n. Relaxing.] [L. relaxare; pref.
   re- re- + laxare to loose, to slacken, from laxus loose. See
   Lax, and cf. Relay, n., Release.]
   1. To make lax or loose; to make less close, firm, rigid,
      tense, or the like; to slacken; to loosen; to open; as, to
      relax a rope or cord; to relax the muscles or sinews.
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            Horror . . . all his joints relaxed.  --Milton.
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            Nor served it to relax their serried files.
                                                  --Milton.
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   2. To make less severe or rigorous; to abate the stringency
      of; to remit in respect to strenuousness, earnestness, or
      effort; as, to relax discipline; to relax one's attention
      or endeavors.
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            The statute of mortmain was at several times relaxed
            by the legislature.                   --Swift.
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   3. Hence, to relieve from attention or effort; to ease; to
      recreate; to divert; as, amusement relaxes the mind.
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   4. To relieve from constipation; to loosen; to open; as, an
      aperient relaxes the bowels.
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   Syn: To slacken; loosen; loose; remit; abate; mitigate; ease;
        unbend; divert.
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	Relax \Re*lax"\, v. i.
   1. To become lax, weak, or loose; as, to let one's grasp
      relax.
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            His knees relax with toil.            --Pope.
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   2. To abate in severity; to become less rigorous.
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            In others she relaxed again,
            And governed with a looser rein.      --Prior.
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   3. To remit attention or effort; to become less diligent; to
      unbend; as, to relax in study.
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	relax
     v 1: become less tense, rest, or take one's ease; "He relaxed in
          the hot tub"; "Let's all relax after a hard day's work"
          [syn: loosen up, unbend, unwind, decompress, slow
          down] [ant: tense]
     2: make less tight; "relax the tension on the rope" [syn: unbend]
     3: become loose or looser or less tight; "The noose loosened";
        "the rope relaxed" [syn: loosen, loose] [ant: stiffen]
     4: cause to feel relaxed; "A hot bath always relaxes me" [syn:
        unstrain, unlax, loosen up, unwind, make relaxed]
        [ant: tense, tense]
     5: become less tense, less formal, or less restrained, and
        assume a friendlier manner; "our new colleague relaxed
        when he saw that we were a friendly group" [syn: loosen
        up]
     6: make less severe or strict; "The government relaxed the
        curfew after most of the rebels were caught" [syn: loosen]
     7: become less severe or strict; "The rules relaxed after the
        new director arrived" [syn: loosen]
     8: make less active or fast; "He slackened his pace as he got
        tired"; "Don't relax your efforts now" [syn: slack, slacken,
         slack up]

	

	185 Moby Thesaurus words for "relax":
   abate, admit, admit exceptions, allow, allow for, amuse, arrest,
   backpedal, backwater, bate, be at ease, be easy, be relaxed,
   beguile, beguile the time, bend, brake, calm down, check,
   clip the wings, collect, collect oneself, compose, compose oneself,
   concede, consider, consider the circumstances, consider the source,
   convulse, cool it, cool off, curb, cushion, decelerate, decrease,
   delay, delight, detain, diffuse, diminish, discount, disjoin,
   disperse, disregard, divert, draw rein, drown care, ease, ease off,
   ease up, enliven, entertain, exhilarate, feel at home, feel easy,
   fluff, forbear, forgive, fracture one, free, gentle, get organized,
   give, give quarter, give way, grant, have a ball, have fun,
   have mercy upon, have pity, hold back, hold in check, hold up,
   impede, keep back, kill, kill time, knead, knock dead, laugh it up,
   lax, laxate, lessen, let down, let go, let up, let up on,
   lift temporarily, limber, limber up, live it up, loose, loosen,
   loosen up, lose ground, lose momentum, lose speed, make,
   make allowance for, mash, massage, mellow, melt, milden, mitigate,
   moderate, modify, modulate, mollify, obstruct, pardon, plump,
   provide for, pulp, quiet down, raise a laugh, raise a smile,
   recreate, reduce, reef, refresh, regale, rein in,
   relax the condition, release, relent, relieve, remit, reprieve,
   rest, retard, scatter, set aside, set back, shake up, simmer down,
   slack, slack off, slack up, slacken, slake, slay, slow, slow down,
   slow up, smash, sober down, soften, soften up, solace, spare,
   squash, stand easy, stay, subdue, submit, supple, take account of,
   take in sail, take into account, take into consideration,
   take it easy, take pity on, temper, tenderize, thaw, throttle down,
   tickle, titillate, tone down, tune down, unbend, unbrace, unglue,
   unlax, unleash, unstick, unstrain, unstring, untighten, unwind,
   waive, weaken, wow, yield