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
That Hamiltonian-Madisonian ideal has waxed and waned over American history.
—
Duncan Hosie, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
Pressure to reopen the inlet never waned.
—Jack Prator, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
Injuries mounted, focus waned and the team was losing — and doing so badly.
—Dan Woike, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
The legislation died the previous session, and support waned.
—Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2026
However, meeting frequency and participation waned during and just after the COVID-19 pandemic, and both Jones and Frank said it’s never recovered.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Dec. 2025
Yes, the public pronouncements about corporate altruism have waned and many leaders have adjusted their messaging and, in some cases, strategies.
—Greg Behrman, Time, 19 Dec. 2025
The comics and their impact have waxed and waned.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 18 Dec. 2025
But as demand for print journalism has waned, instead favoring digital media, the publication's visual tradition has entered a new era.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 9 Dec. 2025
Duncan Hosie, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
Pressure to reopen the inlet never waned.
—Jack Prator, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
Injuries mounted, focus waned and the team was losing — and doing so badly.
—Dan Woike, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
The legislation died the previous session, and support waned.
—Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2026
However, meeting frequency and participation waned during and just after the COVID-19 pandemic, and both Jones and Frank said it’s never recovered.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Dec. 2025
Yes, the public pronouncements about corporate altruism have waned and many leaders have adjusted their messaging and, in some cases, strategies.
—Greg Behrman, Time, 19 Dec. 2025
The comics and their impact have waxed and waned.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 18 Dec. 2025
But as demand for print journalism has waned, instead favoring digital media, the publication's visual tradition has entered a new era.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 9 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waned
Verb
-
While the short-term base rate decreased thanks to cuts from the Fed last year, analysts are widely expecting the base rate to decrease at a slower pace in the New Year.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
12 Jan. 2026
-
When eccentricity decreased, the climate shifted toward drier conditions.—
Stefanie Waldek,
Space.com,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In the two weeks since the Justice Department failed to fully meet a legal deadline to release its expansive tranche of files on Jeffrey Epstein, old conspiracy theories about his life and death have subsided and new ones have taken shape.—
Stephen Fowler,
NPR,
2 Jan. 2026
-
As entheogenic effects subsided, the digital-age healer pulled out her iPhone and showed me photos from her recent trip home.—
María Cristina Lalonde,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
What happens when these cues are greatly diminished or erased either by plastic surgery or other aesthetic interventions?—
Valerie Monroe,
Allure,
15 Jan. 2026
-
The prestige of its domestic institutions, once a pillar of American hegemony, has diminished.—
Pratap Bhanu Mehta,
Time,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
For about a month, nobody had any idea who had felled the tree, and nobody could work out why it had been done.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
-
The greatest damage appeared concentrated in the North Bay, where gusty winds felled numerous trees.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
24 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Specialized districts, from meatpacking to printing, didn’t disappear because demand vanished.—
Parin Moradiya,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Prices of basic goods like cooking oil and chicken dramatically spiked overnight, and some products vanished all together.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Fears of violent conflicts—continuing and erupting—across the globe haven’t ebbed as the year begins.—
Galip Dalay,
Time,
6 Jan. 2026
-
But a tide of enthusiasm ebbed away, leaving the shells of empty properties behind.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Waned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waned. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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