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
Will the loss or diminishment of newspapers leave a hole in society?
—
Arkansas Online, 10 Feb. 2026
The world can become a more just, stable and secure place despite the diminishment of American leadership.
—Peter Harris, The Conversation, 28 Jan. 2026
This concurrence is perhaps a more pernicious one, because both menopause and dementia involve—or, in the case of menopause, can involve—the diminishment of cognitive function.
—Anna Holmes, New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2025
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
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
Arkansas Online, 10 Feb. 2026
The world can become a more just, stable and secure place despite the diminishment of American leadership.
—Peter Harris, The Conversation, 28 Jan. 2026
This concurrence is perhaps a more pernicious one, because both menopause and dementia involve—or, in the case of menopause, can involve—the diminishment of cognitive function.
—Anna Holmes, New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2025
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
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
-
Aumann’s complaint alleges fraud, tortious interference and business disparagement and other alleged misdeeds.—
Paul Flahive,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Jan. 2026
-
The disparagement made Knausgaard drop writing for a good ten years.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Interviewed before the store closing, chief executive officer Tres Lund said last year that an increase in store security expenses and decrease in customer visits had left operating costs outpacing sales.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
26 Feb. 2026
-
In December, city staff requested an end to meeting room reservations for outside organizations due to concerns over security, a decrease in room bookings, and billing and reservation system challenges.—
Carolyn Stein,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Trump is, of course, a man whose rise to power has been fueled by his denigration of people for being animal-like.—
Daniel Engber,
The Atlantic,
22 Feb. 2026
-
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
-
Eco effort LightStay, Hilton’s award-winning environmental and social impact platform, rigorously tracks and manages energy use, water consumption, waste reduction, and community impact.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Feb. 2026
-
An obvious target would be to have the state pick up the costs of its unfunded mandate to require a reduction in class size in New York City.—
Paul Francis,
New York Daily News,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The bill would prevent companies with more than 50 single-family homes for rent from taking deductions for housing value depreciation and mortgage interest payments.—
Emily Wilkins,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2026
-
In work terms, humility isn’t self depreciation.—
Adam Dietz,
Big Think,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Conte was a bad fit from the start and played a small part in their decline.—
Dan Kilpatrick,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The refusal to engage with the media contrasts Davis’ predecessors and contributes to a sharp decline in transparency at the Forty Acres, which also lost its faculty senate, a long-standing public forum that allowed faculty to question the president directly.—
Lily Kepner,
Austin American Statesman,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Howell also drew criticism for agreeing to a confidentiality agreement with the NFL to conceal the ruling of a collusion grievance the union had filed against the league.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Some of the men laughed at the comment, which sparked criticism online, especially since many of them are close with players on the women's hockey team.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Harrison Bader put a figurative dent into a baseball.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Recently, though, her charisma, cutting humor and being a loving mother have somehow eclipsed those accusations, and not even an entire TLC docuseries about her and her church could dent put a dent in her popularity.—
Kate Aurthur,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Diminishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diminishment. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
