relax vs loosen

relax and loosen both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
relax	No	No	Yes	No
loosen	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, loosen is a hypernym of relax; that is, loosen is a word with a broader meaning than relax:

Other hypernyms of relax include loose.

As verbs, relax and loosen are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of relax include loose.

As verbs, relax and loosen are synonyms defined as:

As verbs, relax and loosen are synonyms defined as:

relax (verb)	loosen (verb)
become less tense, rest, or take one's ease	become loose or looser or less tight
cause to feel relaxed	make loose or looser
make less taut	make less dense
become loose or looser or less tight	disentangle and raise the fibers of
make less active or fast	cause to become loose
become less severe or strict	become less severe or strict
make less severe or strict	make less severe or strict
become less tense, less formal, or less restrained, and assume a friendlier manner