1.
to loosen; to slacken; to make less tight
To reduce the tightness or tension of something physical, such as a belt, screw, or grip.
ネクタイを緩めた。
I loosened my necktie.
ベルトを一つ穴を緩めた。
I loosened my belt by one notch.
食事の後、彼はソファに座ってネクタイを緩め、一息ついた。
After the meal, he sat down on the sofa, loosened his tie, and took a breather.
2.
to relax; to ease; to let up on
To reduce the intensity or strictness of rules, vigilance, speed, or effort.
速度を緩めた。
I slowed down.
規制を緩める動きがある。
There is a move to relax regulations.
ここで気を緩めると、これまでの努力が無駄になってしまう。
If you let your guard down here, all your efforts so far will go to waste.
緩める is a transitive ichidan verb. The intransitive counterpart is 緩む (to become loose).
ASPECT (ている):
緩めている indicates the ongoing action of loosening, or a state where something has been loosened.
PARTICLE PATTERNS:
- [object]を緩める (to loosen something)
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ネクタイを緩める (to loosen a necktie)
- 速度を緩める (to reduce speed)
- 規制を緩める (to relax regulations)
- 気を緩める (to let one's guard down)
- 手綱を緩める (to slacken the reins)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 緩める: to loosen, to relax (general)
- 弛める: to slacken (variant kanji, same reading)
- 解く: to untie, to undo (completely releasing a knot)