diminish

verb

di·​min·​ish də-ˈmi-nish 

diminished; diminishing; diminishes

transitive verb

1

: to make less or cause to appear less

diminish an army's strength

His role in the company was diminished.

2

: to lessen the authority, dignity, or reputation of : belittle

diminish a rival's accomplishments

3

architecture : to cause to taper (see taper entry 1 sense 1)

a diminished column

intransitive verb

1

: to become gradually less (as in size or importance) : dwindle

the side effects tend to diminish over time

2

architecture : taper

diminishable

də-ˈmi-ni-shə-bəl 

adjective

diminishment

də-ˈmi-nish-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• bad-mouth
• belittle
• cry down
• decry
• denigrate
• deprecate
• depreciate
• derogate
• dis [slang]
• diss
• discount
• dismiss
• disparage
• kiss off
• minimize
• play down
• poor-mouth
• put down
• run down
• talk down
• trash
• trash-talk
• vilipend
• write off

Choose the Right Synonym for diminish

decrease, lessen, diminish, reduce, abate, dwindle mean to grow or make less.

decrease suggests a progressive decline in size, amount, numbers, or intensity.

slowly decreased the amount of pressure

lessen suggests a decline in amount rather than in number.

has been unable to lessen her debt

diminish emphasizes a perceptible loss and implies its subtraction from a total.

his visual acuity has diminished

reduce implies a bringing down or lowering.

you must reduce your caloric intake

abate implies a reducing of something excessive or oppressive in force or amount.

the storm abated

dwindle implies progressive lessening and is applied to things growing visibly smaller.

their provisions dwindled slowly

Examples of diminish in a Sentence

The strength of the army was greatly diminished by outbreaks of disease.

The drug's side effects should diminish over time.

Nothing could diminish the importance of his contributions.

Recent Examples on the Web

But Trump is diminishing, too, right in front of us. —Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2024

As the weekend progresses, the NWS forecasts the system to diminish by Monday morning, Sheppard said. —Journal Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2024

This month, the White House brokered a deal for Microsoft to invest in G42, an A.I. company in the Emirates, which was intended partly to diminish China’s influence. —Paul Mozur, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2024

Since the turn of the century, Southern California air regulators have drastically diminished the dense clouds of lung-searing pollution that once hung over the region. —Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024

But his role in the passing game diminished over the final three months of the season. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2024

Russia’s influence in its immediate neighborhood has been diminishing, too. —Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2024

Norton skillfully conveys John’s efforts to maintain a façade of normalcy while his eyes reveal the interior struggle of his brooding thoughts on mortality, his diminishing strength and his son’s inevitable pain. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024

That the vitriol is softened by a plush melody hardly diminishes the verbal blows. —Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English deminishen, alteration of diminuen, from Anglo-French diminuer, from Late Latin diminuere, alteration of Latin deminuere, from de- + minuere to lessen — more at minor

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

diminish

verb

di·​min·​ish də-ˈmin-ish 

1

: to make less or cause to appear less

2

: to lessen the authority, dignity, or reputation of : belittle

3

: to become gradually less (as in size or importance) : dwindle

diminishment

-mənt 

noun