1
2

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 This is an increasingly niche market, with an ever dwindling amount of 3D content available. John Archer, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025 From this dwindling budget, $17 million will be repurposed for the garden (another $17 million will come from the National Endowment for the Arts, which also faces cuts). Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025 At issue is growth that will boost the county’s population to over 100,000 in the next 10 years, while groundwater supplies are dwindling. Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Apr. 2025 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has also imposed a monthlong blockade on food, fuel and humanitarian aid that has left the territory’s roughly 2 million Palestinians facing acute shortages as supplies dwindle — a tactic that rights groups say is a war crime. Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 12 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dwindle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dwindle
Verb
  • The goal of this prescribed burn is to decrease the existing fire hazard and to prevent and reduce the impact of future fires in the area.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Keeping yourself hydrated and reducing your salt intake may also help reduce bloating and help your body rid itself of excess fluid. Types of Creatine Several types of creatine are used in supplements.
    Jillian Kubala, Health, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Whereas a decline in home values diminishes the equity investors might hold in their properties, which limits their ability to leverage assets for additional investments or refinancing opportunities.
    William Jones, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025
  • Meanwhile, a more constrained and domestically focused healthcare agenda is likely to diminish trust in federal health agencies, limit access to culturally competent care and produce a loss of global leadership in health innovation.
    Robert Pearl, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The number of Jesuits globally has steadily decreased since the 1960s, when there were more than 36,000.
    Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025
  • Winds will decrease Friday night before increasing again Saturday morning.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • But much of that has subsided now; the Steelers, after all, don’t have a second-round pick and trading up could be out of the question as a result.
    Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2025
  • While immediate inflation concerns have subsided, the current administration's aggressive tariff and immigration policies are creating new economic anxieties that could lead to future instability.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • They were depleted along the defensive line last year and were terrible against the run in the home stretch of the season.
    Matt Barrows, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
  • As of late 2024, 90%+ of that is depleted, especially among lower-income groups.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • County officials declined to comment on the civil lawsuit.
    USA Today, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
  • The hospital declined to say whether Ikner was one of their patients.
    Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • But if the barrier is breached, protection vanishes, and the note’s return moves in tandem with the underlying asset, meaning that the client assumes a 1:1 loss.
    Sergei Klebnikov, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
  • The Yorktown vanished about 1,000 miles northwest of Honolulu, and was rediscovered by a U.S. Navy and National Geographic expedition in 1998.
    Mark Price, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Rising bond yields Yields on 10-year Treasury bonds typically fall – and their prices rise - as investors flee stocks for the safe haven of Treasuries during economic slowdowns.
    Paul Davidson, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, falls and the war is effectively over.
    Heather McRea, Oc Register, 28 Apr. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dwindle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dwindle. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on dwindle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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