diminish

verb di·min·ish \ də-ˈmi-nish \

Updated on: 23 May 2018

Definition of diminish

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 ¹taper 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

play \-ni-shə-bəl\ adjective

—

diminishment

play \-mənt\ noun

See diminish defined for English-language learners

See diminish defined for kids

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 of diminish from the Web

The main track also is sloppy, but it has been sealed and is expected to be in decent shape for the Preakness if forecasts of diminishing rainfall this afternoon are correct.

— peter schmuck, baltimoresun.com, "The surf met the turf: Every Preakness Day race on grass except Gallorette Stakes moved to dirt track," 19 May 2018
Past presidents have used language to serve their goals, writes Karen J. Greenberg in an op-ed article, but never has an administration done so in a way that diminishes the country’s foundational principles.

— paul thornton, latimes.com, "Why Mueller will remain Trump's menace," 19 May 2018
And then there’s the possibility of the Lions pivoting a lot more intently toward a power-run game that would further diminish Riddick’s role.

— carlos monarrez, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Lions Theo Riddick isn't worried about losing his job at RB," 8 May 2018
His vision may have been distorted but there was nothing that could diminish his desire to draw or the power of his work.

— rick kogan, chicagotribune.com, "A tribute to Art Paul, 93, the Chicago designer who gave Playboy its famous look," 30 Apr. 2018
This Florida trend of diminishing debt pushes against the national trend of growing college loan balances.

— lois k. solomon, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Students in Florida hold less debt than those in other states," 26 Apr. 2018
Over time, cities established police forces, which diminished the office’s power in the densely populated Northeast.

— naomi fry, The New Yorker, "The Renegade Sheriffs," 23 Apr. 2018
As the shadow race shows no signs of diminishing, some Republicans have expressed frustration with Mr. Ryan, whose decision to remain speaker until his term expires early next year means a monthslong period of uncertainty.

— siobhan hughes, WSJ, "Some Republicans See House Speaker Race as an Open Field," 16 Apr. 2018
Backers hope this measure will curb krill fishing, which diminishes a food source for larger animals.

— yasemin saplakoglu, Scientific American, "In Case You Missed It," 1 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'diminish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of diminish

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

diminish Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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

DIMINISH Defined for English Language Learners

diminish

verb

Definition of diminish for English Language Learners

: to become or to cause (something) to become less in size, importance, etc.
: to lessen the authority or reputation of (someone or something) : to describe (something) as having little value or importance