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Synonym Chooser

How does the verb dwindle differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of dwindle are abate, decrease, diminish, lessen, and reduce. While all these words mean "to grow or make less," dwindle implies progressive lessening and is applied to things growing visibly smaller.

their provisions dwindled slowly

Where would abate be a reasonable alternative to dwindle?

While the synonyms abate and dwindle are close in meaning, abate implies a reducing of something excessive or oppressive in force or amount.

the storm abated

When could decrease be used to replace dwindle?

Although the words decrease and dwindle have much in common, decrease suggests a progressive decline in size, amount, numbers, or intensity.

slowly decreased the amount of pressure

When is diminish a more appropriate choice than dwindle?

The synonyms diminish and dwindle are sometimes interchangeable, but diminish emphasizes a perceptible loss and implies its subtraction from a total.

his visual acuity has diminished

When can lessen be used instead of dwindle?

In some situations, the words lessen and dwindle are roughly equivalent. However, lessen suggests a decline in amount rather than in number.

has been unable to lessen her debt

When might reduce be a better fit than dwindle?

The words reduce and dwindle are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, reduce implies a bringing down or lowering.

you must reduce your caloric intake

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 dwindle But all of that requires help from private donors, something that has dwindled over the last few years, even as the need goes up. Christie Zizo, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2025 Many of the dwindling number of survivors were also in attendance, including one of the youngest — 79-year-old Kosei Mito, who suffered radiation poisoning in his mother’s womb. Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 7 Aug. 2025 Those changes indicate that jobs growth has been quietly dwindling for months. Sean Conlon, CNBC, 1 Aug. 2025 Lawmakers have dipped into the state's dwindling savings accounts to cover the deficit, said Matt Berman, a University of Alaska Anchorage economics professor who co-authored a 2016 report that examined various deficit-reduction methods. Emily Schwing, NPR, 1 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dwindle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dwindle
Verb
  • The Work Ethic Camp was opened in 2001 and initially designed to reduce prison overcrowding, according to a Nebraska legislative report, providing the incarcerated with life skills training, substance abuse treatment and work experience.
    Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
  • The bacterium, residing harmlessly in the guts of laboratory and fetal mice, reduced accumulation of mercury, the researchers said.
    Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The transit systems that give independence to hundreds of thousands of people living with disabilities will be severely diminished.
    Karen Tamley, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
  • Rather than diminishing us, this should decentralize our ego.
    Dax Grant, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The Congressional Budget Office projected that the administration’s tariff policy would decrease the total deficits by up to $4 trillion over the next decade.
    Sydney Topf, The Washington Examiner, 23 Aug. 2025
  • Motor vehicle thefts declined 21 percent this month and 27 percent year-to-date, while burglaries decreased 28 percent from July 2024.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Once the mayhem of the transfer window has subsided, before those competitions kicking off their group stages, The Athletic will take a deeper look at each club’s position within the rules beyond domestic borders.
    Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025
  • The region is just coming off high tide, so many ongoing coastal flooding issues will likely subside a bit heading into the region’s low tide around midnight.
    Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Projections show it could be depleted by 2034 if no policy changes are made.
    Andrew Rosen, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
  • The impact on consumers is expected to become more pronounced later in the year as companies’ existing inventory is depleted.
    Anne D’Innocenzio, Twin Cities, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • An analyst who declined to be named agreed the EX30 was pivotal for Volvo to reach its 2025 target of 800,000 to 850,000 sales.
    Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
  • Jenkins would play through the 2019 NFL season with the Eagles, but the team declined his final season's option, leaving the veteran safety to become a free agent.
    Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • But without the right asset mix, that sum can vanish shockingly fast.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
  • The 39-year-old vanished from Redding, California, in May 2024.
    Anna Turning, NBC news, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • But, if wages don’t rise to match those jumps, consumer spending could fall and slow the economy.
    Raul Elizalde, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Yet the pre-tariff prices of imports haven’t fallen much since the levies were put in place.
    Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dwindle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dwindle. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.

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