Verbs for Changes of Intensity · Verbs: Making Changing

to emphasize, highlight, or draw attention to certain features or aspects of something

"The scarf will accentuate your outfit."

"Wearing a belt can accentuate your waist and create a more flattering silhouette for your body shape."

to intensify or strengthen something, making it more significant or extreme

"The mystery continues to deepen."

"The mystery continued to deepen as investigators discovered more contradictory evidence at the crime scene."

to make something harder to understand or deal with

"Do not complicate an already difficult situation."

"The sudden rainstorm complicated our travel plans because the roads became slippery and dangerous for driving."

to lessen something's seriousness, severity, or painfulness

"We must mitigate the environmental damage."

"The company took immediate steps to mitigate the damage caused by the data breach by notifying affected customers and offering free credit monitoring."

to reduce from the difficulty or intensity of a problem, issue, etc.

"This medicine will alleviate pain."

"This medication can help alleviate the symptoms of allergies such as sneezing and itchy eyes."

to lessen extremity or severity of something

"Please moderate your tone."

"The mediator tried to moderate the heated discussion between colleagues."

to gradually decrease in intensity, volume, or activity

"The wind dies down after sunset."

"The wind finally died down after several hours so the sailors could safely leave the harbor and continue their journey."

to reduce the intensity of something

"Tone down your criticism slightly."

"The speaker was asked to tone down his aggressive rhetoric because it was making some members of the audience uncomfortable."

(of a color) to become softer and less vibrant, particularly over a period of time

"The paint mellows slowly."

"The harsh flavor of the cheese mellows with age becoming smoother and less sharp after several months of careful storage."

to gradually decrease in number, amount, or intensity over time

"The rain tapered off by evening."

"The heavy rain began to taper off by late afternoon and eventually stopped completely by the evening."

to reduce or soften the impact or effects of a situation or force

"The software buffers streaming video smoothly."

"The thick walls of the recording studio help to buffer the sound from the busy street outside so that it does not interfere with the music."

to gradually disappear or spread out

"The crowd dissipated after the concert ended."

"The thick morning fog began to dissipate as the sun rose higher in the clear sky."

to reduce the volume or intensity of a sound

"Mute the television during commercials."

"The TV remote has a button that allows you to mute the sound instantly if you need to answer the phone or talk to someone."

to reduce or put an end to noise or disturbance

"Quiet the noisy children immediately please."

"The librarian asked the students to quiet down because they were being too loud in the reading area."

to make a sound quieter or less distinct

"Muffle the sound with thick blankets."

"The heavy curtains helped to muffle the noise from the street so that the baby could sleep peacefully without waking up."

to increase the quantity, intensity, or degree of something

"The music will heighten the drama."

"The suspenseful music helped to heighten the tension during the movie's most dramatic scenes."

to make something become much worse or more intense

"The conflict may escalate into war."

"The small disagreement between the two neighbors quickly escalated into a serious argument that required police intervention."

to become more in degree or strength

"The storm will intensify soon."

"The storm is expected to intensify as it moves over the warmer ocean waters tonight."

to increase the size, effect, or extent of something

"The sound will amplify."

"The microphone is used to amplify the speaker's voice so that everyone in the large hall can hear."

to decrease the amount of pain, stress, etc.

"The drug will relieve your symptoms."

"Taking a hot bath can help relieve muscle tension and reduce stress after a long day at work."

to disappear slowly

"Her memory will fade."

"The vibrant colors of the sunset began to fade as night slowly descended upon the landscape."

to end or lessen a person's anger by giving in to their demands

"He appeased the angry customer."

"The manager tried to appease the angry customer by offering him a full refund and a discount on future purchases."

to reduce pressure or intensity

"Lighten the mood, please."

"A few well-timed jokes helped to lighten the tense atmosphere in the meeting room."

to decline in intensity or strength

"The flood waters began to subside."

"After the initial storm passed, the wind began to subside, allowing the waves on the lake to become much calmer."

to bring something or someone under control, often using authority or force

"The police subdued the violent suspect."

"The police officers used non lethal force to subdue the aggressive man who was threatening bystanders with a broken bottle in the park."

to gradually decrease in intensity, strength, importance, size, influence, etc.

"The moon's light began to wane."

"The moon began to wane after reaching its full brightness and gradually became smaller and smaller each night."

to lessen in intensity or severity

"The storm finally began to abate."

"The storm finally began to abate after several hours of heavy rain and strong winds that knocked down many trees."

to gradually decrease in strength, value, or intensity

"The medication attenuated the pain significantly."

"The thick walls of the recording studio helped to attenuate the loud noise coming from the busy street outside."

to reduce the speed, intensity, or activity of something

"The pace will slacken."

"As the marathon runners reached the final mile, their pace began to slacken due to exhaustion."