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 of diminish

• minimize
• dismiss

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

In the 1940s haute couture status brought practical advantages, but as postwar shortages eased in the early 1950s, those benefits diminished. — Alicja Zelazko, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Nov. 2026

That is over 1 billion hectares gone or diminished—more than the area of Canada. — Kari Stoever, Footwear News, 6 Nov. 2026

With a black hood pulled up that almost completely conceals his face and only a few dim lights illuminating the stage, the impact of seeing one of the greatest artists of the 20th century was greatly diminished. — Alfredo Toriello, Vanity Fair, 5 Nov. 2026

Opponents, including some county Democratic groups, said the amendment would diminish local government budgets and would benefit mega-farms the most. — Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2026

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

Rhymes for diminish

• finish
• finnish
• minish

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