RACHETING (DOWN) Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

ratcheting (down)

verb

variants also racheting (down)

present participle of ratchet (down)

as in decreasing

to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually news stories about the kidnapping will ratchet down as the weeks go by

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for ratcheting (down)

Verb

Academics and researchers have proposed a wide variety of causes for the crisis, like changes in the economy, decreasing social connections, access to firearms, and the pandemic.

— Darius Tahir, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
Overall sales have been on a downward trend since the gallery’s founding, decreasing by about 40 percent over the past three years.

— News Desk, Artforum, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of decreasing

Verb

But as stock prices climb and bond yields increase, that relative advantage is diminishing, leaving less room for equities to absorb higher rates.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
In addition to second base, center field and the closer’s role, third base is an issue complicated by Ryan McMahon’s $16 million salary, diminishing glove and paltry offense.

— Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of diminishing

Verb

The autocracies are surging, and democracies ebbing.

— Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
That number has fluctuated from a high of 115,000 in May to a low of about 16,000 on the day before this column was published, ebbing and flowing as tickets were purchased, new batches were released and FIFA (maybe) pulled back others.

— Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 10 June 2026

Definition of ebbing

Verb

Governments are tapping their emergency oil faster than ever, and the room to keep doing so is shrinking.

— Heather Occhino, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026
The top prize there was awarded to The Lake, directed by Abby Ellis, a film exploring the environmental catastrophe posed by the rapidly shrinking Great Salt Lake in Utah.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of shrinking

Verb

Not doing so and focusing just on sandals and flip-flops means the brand peaks in the spring-summer, and then see the business tapering off in the fall.

— Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026
Al-Deek says relief can come from a few different directions — hormone replacement therapy, switching to a different antidepressant, adjusting your dose or tapering off the medication altogether.

— Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of tapering off

Verb

Only its convenient foods division in Europe, the Middle East and Africa reported declining volume, of 1%.

— Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
Since the 1960s, bowling as a business has fallen, with the number of bowling centers in the United States declining by roughly 75% from a peak of about 12,000 to some 3,000.

— Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of declining

Verb

With protests against the moves beginning to take shape, the crackdowns show no signs of letting up, even as international attention and condemnation begins to pour in.

— Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2026
But on this Labor Day, working people are struggling amid an affordability crisis that shows no signs of letting up.

— Mario Cilento, New York Daily News, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of letting up

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Browse Nearby Words

ratcheted (up)

ratcheting (down)

ratcheting (up)

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“Ratcheting (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratcheting%20%28down%29. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of ratcheting (down)

verb

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