as in to enliven
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Recent Examples of leaven
There are leavening notes here and there: a jazzy sliver of cruciferousness from the cabbage that comes with the kalua pork, or the sharp whistle of vinegar that runs through the thin, sweet sauce drizzled over the juicy, panko-crisped chicken katsu (my clear favorite of the proteins).
—
Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2025
Jewish outrage over the extremism has also been leavened by the seemingly unconditional support for Israel among Trump, Musk and others in the president’s circle, along with Trump’s pledge to punish anti-Israel protesters on college campuses.
—Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2025
But the filmmakers leaven the mood before the hammer drops with a lovely interlude at the Omaha Zoo, an idea planted in Ella’s head by a friendly young mother in line to pay at a gas station.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2025
Theroux brings a mix of brash magnetism and commanding frankness to his recurring appearances as Cam, while MacArthur leavens Ness’ doofus, manchild tendencies with an appealing earnestness.
—EW.com, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leaven
Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2025
Jewish outrage over the extremism has also been leavened by the seemingly unconditional support for Israel among Trump, Musk and others in the president’s circle, along with Trump’s pledge to punish anti-Israel protesters on college campuses.
—Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2025
But the filmmakers leaven the mood before the hammer drops with a lovely interlude at the Omaha Zoo, an idea planted in Ella’s head by a friendly young mother in line to pay at a gas station.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2025
Theroux brings a mix of brash magnetism and commanding frankness to his recurring appearances as Cam, while MacArthur leavens Ness’ doofus, manchild tendencies with an appealing earnestness.
—EW.com, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leaven
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leaven
Verb
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Between the topsy-turvy placements and the demonic energy coming from just about everyone else, the episode manages to enliven a season that was trending stale.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2025
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To reassure the Buffett’s of the world, and win more of their cash, Tokyo must reduce bureaucracy, level playing fields, incentivize a startup boom, increase productivity, loosen labor markets and empower women to enliven growth and create new wealth for a critical mass of Japanese.—
William Pesek,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
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What yoga does to the body All yoga traditions believe that the energy of the spinal cord—where the seven chakras align—is a form of the divine feminine energy that animates and gives life to the body.—
Tony Sanchez,
Time,
25 Apr. 2025
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Dynamic Animation in Express can animate still images with a single click, while Enhance Speech can remove distracting background noise for a more polished and professional quality sound.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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But his selection alone has invigorated the fan base with the idea of change.—
Charlotte Carroll,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2025
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As for other cosmic weather, Venus (planet of pleasure) enters the fiery skies of Aries on April 30, invigorating relationships with greater passion for the weeks ahead.—
Kyle Thomas,
People.com,
27 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Serving as an influential authority in the field of environmental restoration, disinfection, and bioremediation, ITS environmental services has built a steady reputation for effective professionalism infused with kindness.—
William Mullane,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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With that thinking in mind, Dove infused its body wash with millions of teeny-tiny droplets that metaphorically and literally fill in the cracks.—
Dianna Singh,
Allure,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Roth said employees at the charity would have to be expressing and inculcating religious doctrine, such as requiring participation in a prayer before a meal is served at a soup kitchen.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2025
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Roth said employees at the charity would have to be expressing and inculcating religious doctrine, such as requiring participation in a prayer before a meal is served at a soup kitchen.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
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And yet, the drum beats on, at least for the band’s show, stacked with decades of generational smashes without any of the wear that a life in rock superstardom can imbue.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2025
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At the entrance, visitors are met with marble imbued with terrazzo, achieved through a unique process of crushing part of the old marble and mixing it with cement.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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People can also become infected by touching infected secretions, and then inoculating themselves by touching their nose, mouth, or eyes with contaminated hands.—
Judy Stone,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
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This does not, however, inoculate them against the unpleasantness that will follow the discovery of their change of heart, which is why starting from the beginning is often preferable.—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Japanese Breakfast's Michelle Zauner embraces melancholy in new album The music of the indie rock band Japanese Breakfast is suffused with longing.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
22 Mar. 2025
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His dialogue was abundant and suffused with paradox and irony.—
Elaine Woo,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Leaven.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leaven. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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