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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ratcheted (down)

Verb

In Iowa, for example, MercyOne Clinton Medical Center ended labor and delivery services earlier this year, citing decreased Medicaid funding as part of the reason.

— Rachel Cohen Booth, Vox, 30 Oct. 2026
Their systolic and diastolic blood pressure (which measures pressure when the heart relaxes) both decreased.

— Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of decreased

Verb

As with many early American utopian communities, their ranks diminished after the Civil War, but a small band of Shakers has persisted at Sabbathday.

— Peter Smith, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
Somewhat diminished in the film’s erratic attempts to contextualize this ever-metastasizing sickness is Odeh himself.

— David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of diminished

Verb

Whether DeSantis’ redistricting effort delivers for Republicans Florida’s new congressional maps shrunk the number of Democratic-leaning seats from eight to four.

— Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2026
The actuators push a piston with pressurized oil, much like the arm of an excavator, only shrunk down.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of shrank

Verb

Collins faces Democrat Troy Jackson, a former Maine Senate leader who stepped in to the race after scandals felled nominee Graham Platner in July.

— Justin Papp,Caleigh Keating,Garrett Downs,Kevin Breuninger,Dan Mangan, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2026
In the postwar decades, humans seized ecosystems at breakneck speed—forests were felled, prairies plowed, wetlands drained.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of fell

Verb

But Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, widely viewed as a potential top contender for the position, has declined to pledge not to run.

— Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Aguilar declined to take the rest of the day off but then activated the fire alarm system after the meeting and tried to leave the building.

— Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of declined

Verb

Eventually, the big infusions of sand that had built up Southern California’s famous beaches tapered off.

— Cindy Carcamo, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Nov. 2026
As the rains tapered off and the skies cleared, Paterson's annual Dominican parade stepped off Sunday afternoon, though with a slight delay.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of tapered off

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.

Browse Nearby Words

ratchet (down)

ratcheted (down)

ratcheted (up)

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ratcheted (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratcheted%20%28down%29. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of ratcheted (down)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

abandon

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes