1
as in disparagement
the act of making a person or a thing seem little or unimportant
she grew increasingly resentful of her coworker's constant diminishment of her new project ideas
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decrease
the amount by which something is lessened
there was a sharp diminishment in our savings after the college tuition bill was paid
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 diminishment
The diminishment of free speech.
—
Richard Stengel, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
While integrating Woltemade has perhaps exacerbated the diminishment of those returns, the regression also hints at something more fundamental with Newcastle’s attacking set-up.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
At the same time, college seems to have become dramatically easier, in ways that suggest a diminishment of its core functions.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2025
In other words, if Congress doesn’t act, Social Security could soon be headed for diminishment — but not extinction.
—Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025
Some industry leaders aren’t convinced there is an impending diminishment in technology or development jobs either.
—Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Richard Stengel, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
While integrating Woltemade has perhaps exacerbated the diminishment of those returns, the regression also hints at something more fundamental with Newcastle’s attacking set-up.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
At the same time, college seems to have become dramatically easier, in ways that suggest a diminishment of its core functions.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2025
In other words, if Congress doesn’t act, Social Security could soon be headed for diminishment — but not extinction.
—Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025
Some industry leaders aren’t convinced there is an impending diminishment in technology or development jobs either.
—Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diminishment
Noun
-
The Fed’s achievements in stabilizing markets during the 2008 financial crisis and the Covid pandemic, and in bringing down inflation while avoiding recession in recent years, deserve praise rather than disparagement.—
Bill Dudley,
Twin Cities,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Patel had sought $10 million in damages on claims of defamation, injurious falsehood and business disparagement.—
Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The value of rice dropped from $488 per ton to $370, but the total decline also included a slight decrease of acreage, with 6,000 fewer acres harvested in the county.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Over the next year, the bankers predict their clients will push forward a 4% general decrease in headcount, while over the next three years, those headcount reductions could skyrocket to 11%.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The human costs of this are the increasing rates of illnesses and the financial costs of health care, lost productivity, and the compounding problems of further environmental denigration.—
Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The e-commerce behemoth is planning the workforce reduction largely to compensate for overhiring during the pandemic; its CEO also said AI could lead to the automation of routine tasks.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Temperature reductions from extensive tree coverage offer sustainability benefits beyond mere aesthetics — a critical consideration in a climate where outdoor spaces become nearly uninhabitable for months each year.—
Ritu Upadhyay,
Footwear News,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The sale of Indian will help increase Polaris' EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) by about $50 million, with profits per share anticipated to grow by around $1.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Oct. 2025
-
By then, most models have absorbed the steepest depreciation but still fall within warranty coverage.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Since hip-hop hit a market peak in 2020, it's been a slow decline ever since, the outlet reports.—
Lex Goldstein,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Blank sailings have only gotten more prevalent as ocean carriers aimed to stop months of declines in freight rates after a softer-than-usual peak shipping season.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The 21-year-old wildlife conservationist and son of famed zookeeper and television personality Steve Irwin further elaborated just why Russell's constructive criticism means so much.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Chmerkovskiy then also remarked on the public's criticisms about his DWTS tenure.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The dent was big enough for a Stop Sale on the tomato sauce.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The note that tariffs on Chinese imports, even after the 10-percentage-point cut announced, remain high enough to put a serious dent on import volume.—
Lori Ann LaRocco,
CNBC,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Diminishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diminishment. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share