Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

dwindle

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of dwindle

1 to make smaller in amount, volume, or extent

  • the long winter dwindled our supply of firewood to practically nothing
Synonyms of dwindle

abate, de-escalate, decrease, dent, deplete, diminish, downscale, downsize, drop, ease, knock down, lessen, lower, reduce
Words Related to dwindle

compress, condense, constrict, contract

abbreviate, abridge, clip, crop, curtail, cut, cut back, cut down, dock, nick, pare, prune, retrench, shorten, slash, trim, truncate, whittle

deflate, shrink

minimize

moderate, modify, modulate, qualify
Near Antonyms of dwindle

blow up, dilate, distend, inflate, swell

elongate, extend, lengthen, prolong, protract

add (to), complement, supplement

enhance, heighten, intensify

redouble
Antonyms of dwindle

aggrandize, amplify, augment, boost, enlarge, escalate, expand, increase, raise

2 to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually

  • our hopes dwindled as the reports of more casualties came in
Synonyms of dwindle

abate, de-escalate, decline, decrease, die (away or down or out), diminish, drain (away), drop (off), ease, ebb, fall, fall away, lessen, let up, lower, moderate, pall, phase down, ratchet (down) also rachet (down) , recede, relent, remit, shrink, subside, taper, taper off, wane
Words Related to dwindle

compress, condense, constrict, contract

evaporate, fade (away), fritter (away), give out, melt (away), peter (out), tail (off), vanish

slacken, slow (down)

alleviate, relax

flag, sink, weaken

cave (in), collapse, deflate
Near Antonyms of dwindle

appear, emerge, show up

blow up, distend, elongate, lengthen
Antonyms of dwindle

accumulate, balloon, build, burgeon (also bourgeon), enlarge, escalate, expand, grow, increase, intensify, mount, mushroom, pick up, rise, snowball, soar, swell, wax

Synonym Discussion of dwindle

decrease, lessen, diminish, reduce, abate, dwindle mean to grow or make less. decrease suggests a progressive decline in size, amount, numbers, or intensity.
    • slowly decreased the amount of pressure
lessen suggests a decline in amount rather than in number.
    • has been unable to lessen her debt
diminish emphasizes a perceptible loss and implies its subtraction from a total.
    • his visual acuity has diminished
reduce implies a bringing down or lowering.
    • you must reduce your caloric intake
abate implies a reducing of something excessive or oppressive in force or amount.
    • the storm abated
dwindle implies progressive lessening and is applied to things growing visibly smaller.
    • their provisions dwindled slowly

Learn More about dwindle

  1. See words that rhyme with dwindle Dictionary: Definition of dwindle Spanish Central: Translation of dwindle Nglish: Translation of dwindle for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of dwindle for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up dwindle? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games