Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

relax

/ɹɪˈlæks/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.29 in modern English

Syllables
re-lax
IPA
/ɹɪˈlæks/
12
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To make something loose.

Transitive verb

verb

To make something loose.

Dated; Transitive verb

verb

To become loose.

Intransitive verb

verb

To relieve (someone or someone's mind) of stress; to enable to rest; to calm down.

Transitive verb

verb

To rest and become relieved of stress.

Intransitive verb

verb

To make something less severe or tense.

Transitive verb

verb

To become less severe or tense.

Intransitive verb

verb

To make something (such as codes and regulations) more lenient.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English relaxen, from Old French relaxer, from Latin relaxāre (“relax, loosen, open”), from re- (“back”) + laxāre (“loosen”), from laxus (“loose, free”). By surface analysis, re- + lax (“open, free, loose”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

relaxes (present, singular) relaxing (participle, present) relaxed (participle, past) relaxed (past)

Derived Forms

chillax overrelax prerelax relaxable relaxacon relaxase relaxative relaxin relaxion relaxographic relaxography relaxometry

Frequently Paired Words

relaxation

Synonyms

expand chill out unwind unstrain unlax loosen up make relaxed unbend decompress slow down

Antonyms

stress excite

Rhymes With

tax attacks max tracks blacks backs packs wax cracks lacks snacks axe

Questions

How do you pronounce relax?
The recorded pronunciation is /ɹɪˈlæks/.
What does relax mean?
To make something loose.
Where does relax come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce relax

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “relax”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɹɪˈlæks/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “relax”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “relax” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.