loosening vs thaw

loosening and thaw both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
loosening	Yes	No	No	No
thaw	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, thaw is a hyponym of loosening; that is, thaw is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than loosening:

loosening: an occurrence of control or strength weakening
thaw: a relaxation or slackening of tensions or reserve; becoming less hostile

loosening (noun)	thaw (noun)
the act of making something less tight	a relaxation or slackening of tensions or reserve; becoming less hostile
an occurrence of control or strength weakening	warm weather following a freeze; snow and ice melt
	the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid

loosening (verb)	thaw (verb)
	become or cause to become soft or liquid