dampening

verb

present participle of dampen
1
as in damping
to make or become slightly or moderately wet dampen a paper towel with water and use it to clean up the mess

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in reducing
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling the oppressive heat dampened our spirits

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in undermining
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality nothing could dampen their enthusiasm

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of dampening More important than these dynamics in dampening the oil crisis that might have ensued was past government investment in infrastructure. — Jason Bordoff, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026 There was always something to take care of given the age of the buildings and the dampening mist sent up by the waterfall. — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 13 Aug. 2026 Washington — The world’s largest economy lost steam heading into summer as red-hot demand for AI infrastructure widened the trade deficit, dampening growth. — Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 30 July 2026 This vinegar typically gets better with age, so there’s no need to worry about an expiration date dampening your culinary plans. — Jill Schildhouse, Southern Living, 25 July 2026 That increase was aimed at dampening the impact on consumer prices from higher oil prices due to the US-Iran war and subsequent interruption of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. — ABC News, 23 July 2026 The lifestyle guru, Reese Witherspoon, Katie Holmes, and Hailey Bieber have all been leaning into the breezy button-down shirt trend, which makes for such a chic swap for basic, look-dampening tees. — Olivia Cigliano, InStyle, 20 July 2026 Its LaserSlim build integrates real-time AI Motion Enhancer Pro sports-tracking filters, Object Tracking Sound Lite, and custom room acoustic sound-dampening blocks. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 6 July 2026 Easy to slip on and off, these sandals are perfect to keep by your front door to throw on at a moment’s notice without dampening your outfit. — Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dampening
  1. damping
  2. reducing
  3. undermining
  4. wetting
  5. blunting
  6. weakening
  7. moistening
  8. dulling
Verb
  • Armed with this insight, Cohen then needed to find a way to create just the right version of this flexible object to produce a proper damping function.
    — Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 12 Aug. 2026
  • This may predispose plants to problems like root rot and damping off disease.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of damping
Verb
  • Drought conditions are also fueling devastating, costly wildfires and reducing crop yields, threatening to push up food prices.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Reportedly this approach could boost reliability by reducing the number of mechanical components.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of reducing
Verb
  • The strikers warned that unpaid wages were undermining morale and affecting patient care.
    — Prosper Heri Ngorora, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Family conflicts related to inheritance are among the most common factors undermining wealth transfers.
    — Medora Lee, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of undermining
Verb
  • Pyne argues that Mediterranean Europe, much like California, is naturally predisposed to burn because of an annual cycle of wetting and drying.
    — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Make sure water penetrates to the deep roots in addition to wetting surface roots.
    — Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of wetting
Verb
  • The law is aimed at blunting financial scams that often target older adults, which frequently include prompting victims to withdraw large sums of money at once.
    — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Semaglutide can hook into this system, blunting the usual pleasure from eating high-fat and sugary treats.
    — Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of blunting
Verb
  • Sansoni’s study suggests that years of scrolling on Instagram can weaken our ability to rely on these inner signals, essentially weakening our brain’s ability to accurately perceive its own face and body.
    — Nicole Karlis, Allure, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The danger Pelath is concerned about is when the river banks are saturated, some root systems let go, sending more trees into the river and weakening the banks.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of weakening
Verb
  • The next several days will see a cooling and moistening trend in both the Bay Area and Central Coast; temperatures are expected to be well below seasonal averages.
    — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • For this, Langelo recommends moistening the soil to make the weeds easier to pull.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 26 Apr. 2026
Definition of moistening
Verb
  • To protect himself, however, Trask has created an inhibitor field that de-powers any mutant nearby, dulling Wolverine’s healing power and ferocity.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Here are the cleaning mistakes that could be dulling your hardwood floors’ shine, as well as the simple fixes to restore their finish.
    — Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of dulling

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Cite this Entry

“Dampening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dampening. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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