RETRENCHED Synonyms: 70 Similar and Opposite Words

retrenched

verb

past tense of retrench

as in reduced

formal to change the way things are done in order to spend less money When the economy slowed, the company was forced to retrench.

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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.

Recent Examples of retrenched Big producer-financiers like Participant Media, which was behind films like Spotlight and Roma, and Bron Studios (Judas and the Black Messiah, The Mule) have shuttered while traditional studios have retrenched themselves in their respective risk-averse fare. — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 5 Mar. 2026 Super Micro Computer is in growth mode at a time when some tech companies have retrenched in the Bay Area, while others are seeking larger new office spaces. — George Avalos, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026 But the business has retrenched recently. — Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retrenched

Verb

Graphics will reportedly be reduced, all of which could affect the quality of broadcasts.

— Maury Brown, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
After a two-month trial, Bowman instructed jurors to deliberate on second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter charges — reduced from first-degree murder charges by prosecutors last week.

— Reeti Malhotra July 21, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of reduced

Verb

During one particularly violent encounter in June 2024, China Coast Guard personnel brandished axes at Philippine troops and slashed their rubber boats.

— Ivan Watson, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
But after the United States slashed its foreign aid funding last year, Lama and more than 280,000 aid workers worldwide found themselves out of a job.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 2026

Definition of slashed

Verb

Germany’s biggest automaker is planning a massive restructuring and cost-cutting program in response to intensifying competition from Chinese electric vehicle makers and higher tariffs on its exports to the United States.

— Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
The formidable shadow pool, cut by black liquid liner, was juxtaposed with light brown brows and bubblegum blush on the apples of her cheeks.

— Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 24 July 2026

Definition of cut

Verb

The Colorado River has shrunk rapidly over the past 25 years as water demand has boomed and climate change has delivered hotter, drier weather and dwindling snow.

— Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
Private-sector hiring in the UAE shrank in the second quarter — the first fall in more than four years, according to recruitment consultancy Cooper Fitch.

— Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of shrank

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“Retrenched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrenched. Accessed 30 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of retrenched

verb

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