shorten vs abridge

shorten and abridge both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
shorten	No	No	Yes	No
abridge	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, shorten and abridge are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of shorten include abbreviate, contract, cut, foreshorten, reduce.

As verbs, abridge is a hypernym of shorten; that is, abridge is a word with a broader meaning than shorten:

Other hypernyms of shorten include abbreviate, contract, cut, foreshorten, reduce, shorten.

shorten (verb)	abridge (verb)
become short or shorter	reduce in scope while retaining essential elements
make shorter than originally intended; reduce or retrench in length or duration	lessen, diminish, or curtail
reduce in scope while retaining essential elements
edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate
make short or shorter