RATCHETED (DOWN) Synonyms: 77 Similar and Opposite Words

ratcheted (down)

verb

variants also racheted (down)

past tense of ratchet (down)

as in decreased

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 ratcheted (down)

Verb

In the decade between 2026 and 2016, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the hours men spend on household activities have fractionally increased, while the hours carried out by women have slightly decreased.

— Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026
This number has decreased since 2015, when nearly 20% of Connecticut adults used tobacco products.

— Sasha Allen, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of decreased

Verb

The term refers to when tobacco companies in the 1990s were forced to pay billions of dollars for misleading the public about the safety and potential harms of their products, and subsequently saw their power and influence dramatically diminished.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026
But the likelihood of finding more survivors has diminished sharply since the first 72 hours after the earthquake.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of diminished

Verb

The 25-year-old from California opened the final with some swagger, popping four aces in the first game, but his self-assurance quickly ebbed.

— Ava Wallace, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Daniel de Visé Consumer sentiment ebbed in July, continuing a generally downward slide that began in 2021, according to the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index.

— Rachel Barber, USA Today, 29 July 2026

Definition of ebbed

Verb

As the Danube waters shrank in Bulgaria, researchers were thrilled to find and recover a jawbone, tusks, a shoulder blade, ribs and other bone fragments belonging to an extinct woolly mammoth buried deep in the sand.

— CBS News, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
The value of the Public Investment Fund’s assets under management shrank $10 billion last year to around $900 billion, according to its 2025 annual report.

— Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of shrank

Verb

Rincker, a German immigrant, was known for casting the bell that hung from the first Cook County Courthouse, which was felled by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

— Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
Frightened that she may be plagued by the same mental illness that felled her mom, Gemma stubbornly refuses to believe anything is wrong.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of fell

Verb

Spokespeople for Canadian officials involved in the talks have repeatedly declined to provide additional details about the negotiations to NBC News.

— Steve Kopack, NBC news, 22 Aug. 2026
City spokesperson Sherae Honeycutt said Independence has not been served with Kennon’s lawsuit and declined to comment.

— Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of declined

Verb

The conditions were wet and and slippery at first, but the rain appears to have tapered off now.

— NBC News, NBC news, 28 June 2026
And several of the unflattering stats have tapered off a ton this last year, including sacks taken (27 in 2025, down from 62 in 2023).

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 24 June 2026

Definition of tapered off

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ratchet (down)

ratcheted (down)

ratcheted (up)

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“Ratcheted (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratcheted%20%28down%29. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of ratcheted (down)

verb

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