diminishing returns
plural noun
1
: a rate of yield that beyond a certain point fails to increase in proportion to additional investments of labor or capital
2
: benefits that beyond a certain point fail to increase in proportion to extended efforts
Examples of diminishing returns in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But the excessive runtimes and spaghetti-on-the-wall storytelling only hold up for so long until there’s diminishing returns.
—
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2025
Those particular adventures are highlights, hardly feeling like a case of diminishing returns as the directors expand on those first stories as well as the striking aesthetics that defined them.
—Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
New quantum semiconductor material Most chips today still rely on silicon, but as components shrink and transistor densities rise, modern devices generate more heat and face diminishing returns on performance.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 25 Nov. 2025
But diminishing returns and precipitous reputation decline suggest the oddball filmmaker, whom a lot of indie folks seem to like personally, has been hurt by bad marketing.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for diminishing returns
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2025
Those particular adventures are highlights, hardly feeling like a case of diminishing returns as the directors expand on those first stories as well as the striking aesthetics that defined them.
—Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
New quantum semiconductor material Most chips today still rely on silicon, but as components shrink and transistor densities rise, modern devices generate more heat and face diminishing returns on performance.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 25 Nov. 2025
But diminishing returns and precipitous reputation decline suggest the oddball filmmaker, whom a lot of indie folks seem to like personally, has been hurt by bad marketing.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for diminishing returns
Cite this Entry
“Diminishing returns.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diminishing%20returns. Accessed 21 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share