toning (down)

verb

present participle of tone (down)
as in tapering (off)

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for toning (down)
  1. decreasing
  2. muffling
  3. blunting
  4. reducing
Verb
  • Blue bands ranging from 90% to 25% show decreasing solar coverage across Europe, northern Africa, Canada and parts of the United States.
    — Raf Sanchez, NBC news, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile, the decline in China’s agricultural labor force, driven by the migration of farmers to urban and industrial centers, is also decreasing productivity.
    — Caitlin Welsh, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of decreasing
Verb
  • Patmos would divide the open warehouse space into smaller rooms, add pipes and support infrastructure and install sound-muffling materials.
    — Ilana Arougheti June 26, Kansas City Star, 26 June 2026
  • The sound-muffling fabrics, carpets, ceiling tiles, tablecloths and rugs that used to decorate restaurants are deemed too stuffy these days, and even upholstered booths are being replaced by more barebones tables — and lots of them, close together.
    — Allyson Reedy, Denver Post, 13 May 2026
Definition of muffling
Verb
  • The law is aimed at blunting financial scams that often target older adults, which frequently include prompting victims to withdraw large sums of money at once.
    — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Semaglutide can hook into this system, blunting the usual pleasure from eating high-fat and sugary treats.
    — Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of blunting
Verb
  • Drought conditions are also fueling devastating, costly wildfires and reducing crop yields, threatening to push up food prices.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Reportedly this approach could boost reliability by reducing the number of mechanical components.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of reducing
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

toning
toning (down)
toning (up)
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Cite this Entry

“Toning (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toning%20%28down%29. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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