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Synonym Chooser

How does the verb diminish differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of diminish are abate, decrease, dwindle, lessen, and reduce. While all these words mean "to grow or make less," diminish emphasizes a perceptible loss and implies its subtraction from a total.

his visual acuity has diminished

When is abate a more appropriate choice than diminish?

In some situations, the words abate and diminish are roughly equivalent. However, abate implies a reducing of something excessive or oppressive in force or amount.

the storm abated

When would decrease be a good substitute for diminish?

While the synonyms decrease and diminish are close in meaning, decrease suggests a progressive decline in size, amount, numbers, or intensity.

slowly decreased the amount of pressure

Where would dwindle be a reasonable alternative to diminish?

The meanings of dwindle and diminish largely overlap; however, dwindle implies progressive lessening and is applied to things growing visibly smaller.

their provisions dwindled slowly

In what contexts can lessen take the place of diminish?

While in some cases nearly identical to diminish, lessen suggests a decline in amount rather than in number.

has been unable to lessen her debt

When could reduce be used to replace diminish?

The synonyms reduce and diminish are sometimes interchangeable, but reduce implies a bringing down or lowering.

you must reduce your caloric intake

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 diminish Every American household would pay for it with higher prices, weaker savings, and diminished global standing. Dan Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025 The roads became thick with mud, the numbers in his Company were diminishing, and on a night in June the Company advanced to dig a further trench, only to retreat again immediately having not made a lick of progress—but not without suffering the fatality of his friend, Thomas. Alice Vernon september 8, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025 Earlier in March, mission engineers turned off another of Voyager 2's instruments in an effort to manage its gradually diminishing power supply. Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025 The recent adoption of artificial intelligence tools has also diminished prospects for jobs in some entry-level roles, some analysts added. Max Zahn, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for diminish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diminish
Verb
  • Officials repeatedly minimized fire risks and touted the benefits of letting the fire burn, according to The Republic's findings.
    Rey Covarrubias Jr, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Context switching is minimized.
    Paul Kovalenko, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • His team accused Whatley of distorting the facts to cover for his support of federal policies that reduced funding for local police.
    Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Valentino has been streamlining its wholesale channel, reduced by about 20 percent in 2024, a strategy that continued in 2025 and that is expected to impact its year-end performance.
    Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • This risk decreases as the storm moves away.
    STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Sep. 2025
  • As the storm moves away, this likelihood decreases.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The actor denied the allegations, and the case was later dismissed, per The Hollywood Reporter.
    Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Those who dismissed intersectionality saw such policies as little more than allowing the disadvantaged to commit crimes without consequences to make up for past inequities, afflicting crime victims from the same disadvantaged communities.
    John Scott Lewinski, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The Royals are waiting for his back spasms to subside before getting him back into game action.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2025
  • By 2008, Americans were withdrawing, and combat deaths were subsiding to their lowest level since the start of the occupation.
    Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Burberry's share price has fallen sharply over recent years, declining almost 80% from April 2023 to September 2024, as waning sales and a slew of management changes exacerbated a wider luxury downturn.
    Karen Gilchrist, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Morris and his attorneys declined comment.
    Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Diminish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diminish. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.

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