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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Last year, the number of officers killed decreased, both in terms of officers killed as a result of felonious acts and those killed accidentally.—
Kenneth D. Robinson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 May 2026
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In addition, overall passenger numbers decreased 20% after Spirit exited a route, which indicates that rival airlines did not immediately step forward to fill the void.—
David Lyons,
Sun Sentinel,
1 May 2026
Verb
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The unlikely union lasted 10 years and the mutual admiration between the two famed figures never diminished.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
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While the immediate flood threat has diminished, rain is expected to persist along the Mid-Atlantic coast.—
Francie Ebert,
NBC news,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Kazarian declined to comment further on Friday afternoon.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
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The Padres placed Cruz on the restricted list in mid-March and have declined further comment.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Patlola testified that Resilience had fallen far short of paying required rent, and that Ramco is allowed to evict it.—
Lisa Schencker,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
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More than 100 people aboard a cruise ship that departed from Fort Lauderdale last month have fallen ill from norovirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fallen away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallen%20away. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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