as in to simplify
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Recent Examples of dumb down
The one remaining source of substantial opposition remains the faculty, who frequently claim that shorter degrees will dumb down expectations for students.
—
Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 13 Feb. 2026
The apparent solution among the education establishment is not to challenge kids to stretch their minds and hit the books but rather to dumb down the curriculum so everyone passes.
—Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 18 Dec. 2025
For once, the Perrys promised, over many, many drinks, a movie would be made that didn’t dumb down the story on which it was based.
—Susan Cheever, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2025
This is clearly an assault on learning by the White House and an attempt to dumb down the national population.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 20 July 2025
Parents responded that such changes would dumb down San Francisco schools.
—Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 May 2025
The company wanted to ensure that amateurs could safely explore the car’s uncanny capabilities but didn’t want to dumb down the thrills.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 Mar. 2011
Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 13 Feb. 2026
The apparent solution among the education establishment is not to challenge kids to stretch their minds and hit the books but rather to dumb down the curriculum so everyone passes.
—Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 18 Dec. 2025
For once, the Perrys promised, over many, many drinks, a movie would be made that didn’t dumb down the story on which it was based.
—Susan Cheever, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2025
This is clearly an assault on learning by the White House and an attempt to dumb down the national population.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 20 July 2025
Parents responded that such changes would dumb down San Francisco schools.
—Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 May 2025
The company wanted to ensure that amateurs could safely explore the car’s uncanny capabilities but didn’t want to dumb down the thrills.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 Mar. 2011
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dumb down
Verb
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But Gorelick and others say violent crimes are a complicated phenomena, and the reasons behind them cannot be simplified or reduced to one thing.—
Lorena O’Neil,
Rolling Stone,
11 May 2026
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The Pisces Moon helps intuition spot what needs simplifying.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
10 May 2026
Verb
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The phrase 'cancel culture' can oversimplify situations that are often more complicated.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
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Gordon Sammis was brought in from UConn to replace Kendal Briles (now South Carolina’s offensive coordinator) and move the Horned Frogs more toward — to oversimplify it — a pro-style attack.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Aurora's program has existed for decades, but officials recently streamlined the application process through the city's online customer service portal.—
Tori Mason,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
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Mamdani intends to cut the median time for approvals from 210 to to 100 days via a mix of simplifying income verification, speeding up the process for lottery winners to be selected, and streamlining the applications, among other things.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dumb down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dumb%20down. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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