decrease vs relent

decrease

verb
  • Of a quantity, to become smaller. 

  • To make (a quantity) smaller. 

noun
  • A reduction in the number of stitches, usually accomplished by suspending the stitch to be decreased from another existing stitch or by knitting it together with another stitch. See Decrease (knitting). 

  • An amount by which a quantity is decreased. 

relent

verb
  • To slacken; to abate. 

  • To give in or be swayed; to become less hard, harsh, or cruel; to show clemency. 

noun
  • Stay; stop; delay. 

How often have the words decrease and relent occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )