Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun shortening

2 senses of shortening

Sense 1
shortening -- (fat such as butter or lard used in baked goods)
       => edible fat -- (oily or greasy matter making up the bulk of fatty tissue in animals and in seeds and other plant tissue)

Sense 2
shortening -- (act of decreasing in length; "the dress needs shortening")
       => decrease, diminution, reduction, step-down -- (the act of decreasing or reducing something)

Antonyms of verb shorten

2 of 5 senses of shorten

Sense 1
shorten -- (make shorter than originally intended; reduce or retrench in length or duration; "He shortened his trip due to illness")
       Antonym of lengthen (Sense 1)
      => lengthen -- (make longer; "Lengthen this skirt, please")

Sense 4
shorten -- (become short or shorter; "In winter, the days shorten")
       Antonym of lengthen (Sense 2)
      => lengthen -- (become long or longer; "In Spring, the days lengthen")

Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb shorten

5 senses of shorten

Sense 1
shorten -- (make shorter than originally intended; reduce or retrench in length or duration; "He shortened his trip due to illness")
       => reduce, cut down, cut back, trim, trim down, trim back, cut, bring down -- (cut down on; make a reduction in; "reduce your daily fat intake"; "The employer wants to cut back health benefits")

Sense 2
abridge, foreshorten, abbreviate, shorten, cut, contract, reduce -- (reduce in scope while retaining essential elements; "The manuscript must be shortened")
       => decrease, lessen, minify -- (make smaller; "He decreased his staff")

Sense 3
shorten -- (make short or shorter; "shorten the skirt"; "shorten the rope by a few inches")
       => change, alter, modify -- (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue")

Sense 4
shorten -- (become short or shorter; "In winter, the days shorten")
       => decrease, diminish, lessen, fall -- (decrease in size, extent, or range; "The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester"; "The cabin pressure fell dramatically"; "her weight fell to under a hundred pounds"; "his voice fell to a whisper")

Sense 5
bowdlerize, bowdlerise, expurgate, castrate, shorten -- (edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate; "bowdlerize a novel")
       => abridge, foreshorten, abbreviate, shorten, cut, contract, reduce -- (reduce in scope while retaining essential elements; "The manuscript must be shortened")