diminishment

1 the act of making a person or a thing seem little or unimportant she grew increasingly resentful of her husband's constant diminishment of her flourishing catering business Synonyms belittlement, denigration, deprecation, derogation, detraction, depreciation, disparagement, put-downRelated Words aspersion, backbiting, calumny, defamation, libel, slander, vilification; derision, mockery, ridicule; abuse, invective, vituperation; censure, condemnation, criticism, denouncement, denunciation; de-emphasis, minimization, soft-pedalingNear Antonyms acclaim, praise; approbation, approval, blessing, commendation; hype, pufferyAntonyms aggrandizement, ennoblement, exaltation, glorification, magnification

2 the amount by which something is lessened there was a sharp diminishment in our checking account after Christmas shopping season Synonyms abatement, decline, decrement, dent, depletion, depression, decrease, diminution, drop, drop-off, fall, falloff, loss, reduction, shrinkage, step-downRelated Words deduction, subtraction; downturn, slip, slump; curtailment, cut, cutback, retrenchment, shorteningNear Antonyms accretion, accrual, accumulation, addition, supplement; continuation, extension; upswing, uptrend, upturnAntonyms boost, enlargement, gain, increase, increment, raise, rise, step-up, uptick