suppress vs lessen

suppress and lessen both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
suppress	No	No	Yes	No
lessen	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, lessen is a hypernym of suppress; that is, lessen is a word with a broader meaning than suppress:

Other hypernyms of suppress include decrease, minify.

suppress (verb)	lessen (verb)
bring under control by force or authority	decrease in size, extent, or range
lessen to the point of stopping	wear off or die down
put out of one's consciousness	make become smaller
consciously restrain from showing; of emotions, desires, impulses, or behavior
come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority