diminish

verb

di·​min·​ish də-ˈmi-nish How to pronounce diminish (audio)
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 adjective
diminishment noun
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 Dry seasons are becoming longer, and average rainfall during those periods, when rains diminish but do not stop altogether, has already dropped by a third since the 1970s, Dr. Berenguer said. Manuela Andreoni, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024 Testimony about Baldwin appeared to partially support Gutierrez’s contention that her authority as armorer had been diminished, Kastenberg said, adding that prosecutors appeared to anticipate the defense strategy. Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Though general manager Chris Grier somewhat quibbled with the notion, the numbers show the Dolphins’ run and pass blocking diminished after Connor Williams’ season-ending ACL injury against Tennessee in Week 13. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024 But the broader point is that a unique opportunity to permanently diminish Hamas, not only as an army but also as a political movement, is being squandered because Netanyahu refuses to encourage any prospect, however long term, of building toward a two-state solution. Thomas L. Friedman, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024 Benzinga Equity markets continued their positive momentum, marking another week of gains since the rally began at the end of October 2023, buoyed by diminishing economic concerns. Detroit Free Press, 2 Mar. 2024 This leads to people waiting to see the film after initial rush has diminished, and when those superior seating options are freed up. Mark Hughes, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 The Campbell Trophy winner (nation’s best scholar-athlete) will be a 24-year-old rookie, which could diminish his draft stock a bit. 47. Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Feb. 2024 The goal was to diminish the shock value of any retaliation by Beijing for Pelosi’s trip, a senior White House official says. TIME, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'diminish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of diminish was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near diminish

Cite this Entry

“Diminish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diminish. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

diminish

verb
di·​min·​ish də-ˈmin-ish How to pronounce diminish (audio)
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 noun

More from Merriam-Webster on diminish

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