unloosening
Slackening a grip
Unloosening is the act of releasing or unfastening something that was secured.
The word is redundant—loosening already means the same thing—but the prefix intensifies or emphasizes the action: She began unloosening the knots in the rope.
The form appears occasionally in older or literary texts but sounds archaic in contemporary speech.
Opening what was secured
- untyingLoosening a fastened cord
- unbindingAct of freeing
- detachingUnfastening from attachment
- unlockingReleasing a secured closure
unhooking · unlatching · unclamping · unstrapping · unpinning · unscrewing · unhitching · uncoupling
Releasing from confinement
- emancipatingReleasing from control
- unshacklingRemoving fetters or constraints
- unchainingRemoving restraining links
- liberatingSetting free from constraint
Reducing strain or difficulty
- relaxingBecoming less tense
- releasingAllowing to escape
- unwindingReleasing coiled tension
- decompressingReleasing built-up tension
softening · unclenching · destressing · calming · soothing · alleviating · mellowing · lightening
unfastening
Opening what was secured
unlocking · unhooking · unlatching · unclamping · unstrapping · unpinning · unscrewing · unhitching · uncoupling · unsnapping
freeing
Releasing from confinement
- emancipatingReleasing from control
- unshacklingRemoving fetters or constraints
- unchainingRemoving restraining links
liberating · unfettering · releasing · unbridling · escaping
easing
Reducing strain or difficulty
decompressing · softening · unclenching · destressing · calming · soothing · alleviating · mellowing · lightening · unburdening
unlooseningtightening
Making less loose
fastening · securing · cinching · tensioning · clamping
unlooseningconstraining
Imposing limits upon
restricting · confining · binding · trapping · imprisoning
loose, loosen, loosened, loosening, loosely, looseness, unloose, looser, loosest