lessening

adj.	1.	becoming less in dimension or degree; as, the lessening distance between us.
n.	1.	a change downward; a decrease; a reduction.

Noun

1.

lessening - a change downward; "there was a decrease in his temperature as the fever subsided"; "there was a sharp drop-off in sales" Synonyms: decrease, drop-off

abatement, abating, abridgment, allaying, allayment, alleviating, alleviation, analgesia, anesthesia, anesthetizing, appeasement, assuagement, assuaging, attenuation, attrition, blunting, calming, chastening, contraction, contractive, curtailment, cushioning, cut, cutting, dampening, damping, deadening, declining, decrease, decreasing, decrement, decrescence, decrescendo, decrescent, deduction, deflation, deliquescent, demulsion, depletion, depreciation, depression, derogation, detraction, diminishing, diminishment, diminuendo, diminution, dip, disparagement, dulcification, dulling, dwindling, dying, dying off, ease, easement, easing, extenuation, extraction, fade-out, falling-off, hushing, impairment, languishing, languishment, leniency, letdown, letup, lightening, loosening, lowering, lulling, miniaturization, mitigating, mitigation, modulation, mollification, numbing, on the wane, pacification, palliation, quietening, quieting, reducing, reduction, reductive, relaxation, relaxing, relief, remedy, remission, retraction, retrenchment, sagging, salving, scaling down, shortening, shrinkage, simplicity, slackening, softening, soothing, subduement, subduing, subsiding, subtraction, tempering, tranquilization, truncation, waning, weakening