Entry Word: diminish

Function: verb

Meaning: 1 to express scornfully one's low opinion of <tends to diminish any rivalʼs accomplishments with snide remarks> — see decry 1
2 to make smaller in amount, volume, or extent <they vowed that their friendship would never be diminished by time> — see decrease 1
3 to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually <the sound of the train diminished as our distance from it increased> — see decrease 2