thaw vs loosening

thaw and loosening both are nouns.

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

As nouns, loosening is a hypernym of thaw; that is, loosening is a word with a broader meaning than thaw:

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

Other hypernyms of thaw include relaxation, slackening.

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

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