RATCHETING (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

Several regions observed consumers looking for cheaper alternatives to products or decreasing discretionary spending to save money, according to the report.

— Alex Harring, CNBC, 15 July 2026
More rain through Friday before conditions improve Rain chances should begin decreasing across eastern parts of the region by Friday and through the weekend, although isolated showers and storms could linger in western areas.

— Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 15 July 2026

Definition of decreasing

Verb

Weakening high pressure to our east is slowly reducing scorching hot temperatures from earlier this week and diminishing the monsoonal moisture that provided unseasonable rain showers and thunderstorms.

— Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 17 July 2026
In Miami-Dade, the transit system faces financial woes Aside from diminishing Miami-Dade’s transit ambitions, the Levine Cava plan also highlights the dire financial picture facing mass transit in the county.

— Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 16 July 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

Dominican hospitality does not come from shrinking itself to make visitors comfortable.

— Rafael Peña, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026
In 2019, when the Fed was shrinking its balance sheet, the cushion of reserves available in the banking system dropped, leading to a spike in overnight lending rates that forced the central bank to step in and add liquidity back into markets.

— Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 14 July 2026

Definition of shrinking

Verb

The first-round showers and storms will move eastward through the rest of Saturday morning with the activity tapering off in the early afternoon.

— Lauren Bostwick, CBS News, 6 June 2026
For most movies, the opening weekend is the most lucrative, with ticket sales tapering off from there.

— Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 31 May 2026

Definition of tapering off

Verb

When algorithms see these frictions falling away, the need for a driver premium plummets, deflating the surge price.

— Christopher S. Tang, The Conversation, 8 July 2026
But the memorandum drafted between Kyiv and Washington on an early-stage drone deal appears to suggest those obstacles may be falling away.

— Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 12 May 2026

Definition of falling away

Verb

On every metric—sales, profit, assets and market value—these bellwether companies, 787 from Asia, collectively scaled to record levels, most likely reaping gains from not letting up.

— Naazneen Karmali, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Rain pummeled the ground outside the tunnel, but the storm was short-lived, gradually letting up and then stopping altogether.

— Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 4 July 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 19 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of ratcheting (down)

verb

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