as in decreased
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually
in the course of the evening the storm steadily waned
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Recent Examples of waned
In the early 1900s, the pioneering American astrophysicist George Ellery Hale discovered that the sunspots that Galileo and others had traced weren’t blemishes but magnetic storms, regions of intense activity that waxed and waned on the 11-year solar cycle.
—
Quanta Magazine, 28 May 2026
Who wants to buy Snow White toys if the movie has tanked or waned at the box office.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 25 May 2026
The extremes of his slumps waned and his strikeouts dipped significantly.
—Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 25 May 2026
And again, this was true even if when their attraction naturally waxed and waned.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
While Pokémon continued to print cards, their popularity waned in the 2000s.
—Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 22 May 2026
Romance in the Air The potential of romance at the hotel, Chevanne, attested, has never waned.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 22 May 2026
Special Interest Magazines As general interest magazines waned, special interest magazine titles were born.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 May 2026
Schlitz battled Anheuser-Busch for years for the title of America's top-selling beer, but its popularity waned in recent years.
—Todd Feurer, CBS News, 20 May 2026
Quanta Magazine, 28 May 2026
Who wants to buy Snow White toys if the movie has tanked or waned at the box office.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 25 May 2026
The extremes of his slumps waned and his strikeouts dipped significantly.
—Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 25 May 2026
And again, this was true even if when their attraction naturally waxed and waned.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
While Pokémon continued to print cards, their popularity waned in the 2000s.
—Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 22 May 2026
Romance in the Air The potential of romance at the hotel, Chevanne, attested, has never waned.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 22 May 2026
Special Interest Magazines As general interest magazines waned, special interest magazine titles were born.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 May 2026
Schlitz battled Anheuser-Busch for years for the title of America's top-selling beer, but its popularity waned in recent years.
—Todd Feurer, CBS News, 20 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waned
Verb
-
Homicides have decreased by roughly 11% from this time in 2025, which ended with a 60-year low in the number of people killed; the city has also had 148 fewer people shot.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
-
This isn’t unique to Sacramento, with Smith noting that an American Alliance of Museums survey found that 55% of museums report decreased traffic.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
While the heaviest fighting has subsided, the ceasefire has seen almost daily Israeli fire.—
Ahmad Mantash,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
The surgery in July 2022 went as planned, and in the early weeks of recovery, nothing appeared out of the ordinary as the swelling gradually subsided.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Attendance diminished in recent years as the Wizards tore down their roster in the hopes of accumulating draft picks in trades and losing enough games to win early picks via the annual draft lottery.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
The future-proof leader is the person disciplined enough to question their own assumptions, recognize when familiar frameworks no longer serve the moment, and understand that leadership is strengthened, not diminished, by remaining open to growth.—
Mary Hemphill,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Piccotto effectively plays the regret of a mother forced to reckon with the loss of a child, the horror of engaging with that child again, while also grappling with her own role as a mother felled by the scourge of addiction.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
-
In a Western Conference Final where a few other key Colorado Avalanche players are already playing through injuries, the NHL’s leading goal scorer this season was felled trying to prevent someone else from scoring.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
As these prey species vanished, the large sharks that relied on them also disappeared from the region.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
The American woman vanished from the Bahamas last month while on vacation with husband Brian Hooker.—
Kelsie Cairns,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Near the end of the show, the stories ebbed in favor of quick punches.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
25 May 2026
-
While interest in stakeholder capitalism ebbed amid an ESG backlash and other issues, moral leadership has become increasingly important in an atmosphere of growing distrust, dishonesty, and divisiveness.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waned. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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