as in to reduce
to make smaller in amount, volume, or extent
the poor economy forced the plant to downscale production
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in down-market
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of downscale
Rebecca Lissner, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2025
Loiseau and his team first select the cognac barrels to be recycled and downscaled into Maison Psyché tonnelets.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 8 July 2025
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
Lebowitz recalled that Navarro bought and renovated a three-story building in one of Cambridge’s more downscale neighborhoods.
—Ian Parker, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downscale
Verb
Biden officials ultimately succeeded in persuading Israel to downscale its Rafah operation, one of several modest successes in using pressure to improve humanitarian outcomes in Gaza, and never resumed the delivery of 2,000-pound bombs.
—Rebecca Lissner, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2025
Loiseau and his team first select the cognac barrels to be recycled and downscaled into Maison Psyché tonnelets.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 8 July 2025
Adjective
Becket grew up poor, in downscale Belleville, NJ (his mother was kicked to the curb after getting pregnant out of wedlock).
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
Lebowitz recalled that Navarro bought and renovated a three-story building in one of Cambridge’s more downscale neighborhoods.
—Ian Parker, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downscale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downscale
Verb
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Spirulina helps eliminate heavy metal build-up in the body, for instance; ginger and cumin reduce bloating; lecithin and gingko can improve memory.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
Statistically, the drug reduced the risk of death by 60% compared with chemotherapy.—
Ed Silverman,
STAT,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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As the latter became emblematic of comfort and success, the former came to be seen as down-market or second-class.—
Lily Meyer,
The Atlantic,
30 Apr. 2026
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The women rarely have close friends, only rival hostesses and often down-market sisters.—
Libby Gelman-Waxner,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Miami’s decreasing rents fit into a larger trend in South Florida.—
Catherine Odom,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2026
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The most recent Los Angeles County Quality of Life Index survey out of UCLA shows perception of public safety losing ground even as property crime has decreased modestly over the same period.—
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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With higher prices and a looming billionaire wealth tax, the Golden State continues to see both working-class residents and wealthy business owners leaving for more affordable cities.—
Lindsay Kornick,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
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Early in the session, the siblings began by reflecting on their childhoods growing up in a working-class neighborhood in Chicago, and the experiences that led them on contrasting career paths.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Common travel regrets stem from preventable issues like poor planning, budget problems, and choosing the wrong companions.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
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O’Farrell’s inclination for narratives propelled by brutal coincidence and fatally poor timing tenders a Hardy-esque vision of the world, one that emphasizes the rigid, often cruel limits of an individual’s jurisdiction over the course of their life.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Downscale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downscale. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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