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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 That's left women's health care in the hands of a diminishing number of women. NPR, 14 Oct. 2025 Witkoff’s role was, until this recent success over Gaza, diminished. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025 What’s more, any achievement that Israel can point to in Gaza, in terms of diminishing Hamas’s fighting capabilities and damaging its tunnel network, happened months ago. Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025 The federal determination highlights how permitting males to compete on female teams displaces female athletes from podiums, denies them advancement opportunities, and diminishes their visibility and recognition in competitions. Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for diminish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diminish
Verb
  • SpaceX took steps to minimize the chances that the problem would recur on Flight 8.
    Mike Wall, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The Brooke High Rise Straight, a narrow straight leg, is finished with laser technology to minimize water usage.
    Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Now, many employers are looking to harness the power of AI—initially for mundane and repetitive tasks and eventually for more complicated jobs—to reduce the need to maintain the same level of human staffers on their payrolls.
    Jason Del Rey, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025
  • And drivers can reduce the risk of their cars being hit.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Moreover, parlay bets are getting more complicated as time goes on, decreasing the chances of winning.
    Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025
  • In early January, the restuarant closed for two weeks to regroup after sales decreased by 37%.
    Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Biden administration dismissed the lawsuit, and prosecutors dropped a grand jury investigation the following year.
    NPR, NPR, 17 Oct. 2025
  • The revelation immediately erupted into a political crisis, with the head of prisons dismissed and Guatemalans threatening to protest.
    New York Times, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • By day 10, my entire nervous system was hijacked—every fiber of my being was at ease, and all cravings subsided.
    Essence, Essence, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Their base case assumes that recovery will resume once uncertainty subsides.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Hoyer declined to speculate on whether the major-league payroll would receive a boost after Wrigley Field hosted two playoff rounds.
    Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • The sentiment has affected Gulf IPOs, which are expected to decline to their lowest level since 2021.
    Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Diminish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diminish. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

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