as in decreased
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually
as the years went by, the public's interest in the murder case fell away
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Recent Examples of fallen away
People are now seeing the vulnerability of a world that wasn’t really based on laws; it was based on norms of prosecutorial decision and discretion, and that’s sort of fallen away.
—
ArsTechnica, 8 Apr. 2026
And buying it as a second car, that phenomenon has really, really fallen away in recent years as prices have gone up and everything’s got more expensive.
—Joel Feder, The Drive, 26 Mar. 2026
Virtually nothing was left of the structure, including almost all traces of the Sun Room, whose floor had partially collapsed and fallen away to leave a gaping hole where tourists had once stood in front of the three windows.
—New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Still, Orlando at times this season has fallen away from its defensive identity, which in turn has stumped its offensive output.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Feb. 2026
The backstory Decades ago, Wickenburg was known as the dude ranch capital of the world, and while nearly all of those other properties have fallen away, Rancho de los Caballeros has remained in place since 1948.
—Asonta Benetti, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026
In the last decade, that norm has to some degree fallen away, with voices on both the right and left likening their opponents to Nazis.
—Philissa Cramer, Sun Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026
So, again, the narrative at the beginning of the week that these are war crimes, that's clearly fallen away and now the Democrats are peddling another lie.
—ABC News, 7 Dec. 2025
The idea of a single gene for complex traits — whether height, intelligence, mental health, or sexuality — has largely fallen away.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 3 Dec. 2025
ArsTechnica, 8 Apr. 2026
And buying it as a second car, that phenomenon has really, really fallen away in recent years as prices have gone up and everything’s got more expensive.
—Joel Feder, The Drive, 26 Mar. 2026
Virtually nothing was left of the structure, including almost all traces of the Sun Room, whose floor had partially collapsed and fallen away to leave a gaping hole where tourists had once stood in front of the three windows.
—New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Still, Orlando at times this season has fallen away from its defensive identity, which in turn has stumped its offensive output.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Feb. 2026
The backstory Decades ago, Wickenburg was known as the dude ranch capital of the world, and while nearly all of those other properties have fallen away, Rancho de los Caballeros has remained in place since 1948.
—Asonta Benetti, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026
In the last decade, that norm has to some degree fallen away, with voices on both the right and left likening their opponents to Nazis.
—Philissa Cramer, Sun Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026
So, again, the narrative at the beginning of the week that these are war crimes, that's clearly fallen away and now the Democrats are peddling another lie.
—ABC News, 7 Dec. 2025
The idea of a single gene for complex traits — whether height, intelligence, mental health, or sexuality — has largely fallen away.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 3 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fallen away
Verb
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Palestinian voter turnout has gradually decreased over the past elections.—
SAM METZ,
Arkansas Online,
26 Apr. 2026
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The issue has broad effects, affecting not just the victim but families, co-workers and community while harming mental and physical health, causing decreased productivity and decreasing one’s quality of life.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For those who have been advocating for more telework protections since 2024, their fervor hasn’t diminished.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Broadband, long the savior of the sector as video footprints have diminished, has also shown signs of weakness over the past year or two.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Westerheide declined to answer follow-up questions about the Patton autopsy.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
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That tax collector, Cheryl Blogoslawski, was suspended from her job in January, not long after a new mayor, Democrat Bobby Sanchez, took office after Stewart declined to seek a seventh two-year term.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Isaacman must prod along Blue Origin, which has fallen behind in this billionaires’ race to space, and must keep SpaceX focused on the task at hand amid the noise of a record-breaking share sale.—
Thomas Black,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
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In recent months, USCIS has fallen more in line with other immigration enforcement branches at the Homeland Security Department, which have a focus on policing.—
Ximena Bustillo,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fallen away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallen%20away. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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