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
Family-friendly movies occupying a bigger slice of cinemas is partially because adult moviegoing has waned.
—
ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026
Driven by pro-war sentiment following the 9/11 attacks, Bush enjoyed early support for the war in Iraq which only waned in later years.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
Their appeal rarely waned, even as scholars in the 1980s began to publish books and articles that challenged this vision of regional and national history.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
Stephanie Ponto's private messages to Hallquist waned, but the comments on Hallquist's campaign page continued.
—Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 1 Apr. 2026
While President Masoud Pezeshkian’s influence could have waned, figures like Saeed Jalili, Guardian Council insider Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi continue shaping Iran’s security posture.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2026
But the Pakistani-American relationship has waxed and waned over time.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Long-term upside momentum waned in March, as shown by a downtick in the monthly MACD histogram.
—Katie Stockton, CNBC, 30 Mar. 2026
Then, as the pandemic waned, in 2023 and early ’24, came two jolts to the system – federal pandemic-era assistance ended, pulling food and food-related funding away from charities, and the number of people seeking food continued to grow.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026
ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026
Driven by pro-war sentiment following the 9/11 attacks, Bush enjoyed early support for the war in Iraq which only waned in later years.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
Their appeal rarely waned, even as scholars in the 1980s began to publish books and articles that challenged this vision of regional and national history.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
Stephanie Ponto's private messages to Hallquist waned, but the comments on Hallquist's campaign page continued.
—Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 1 Apr. 2026
While President Masoud Pezeshkian’s influence could have waned, figures like Saeed Jalili, Guardian Council insider Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi continue shaping Iran’s security posture.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2026
But the Pakistani-American relationship has waxed and waned over time.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Long-term upside momentum waned in March, as shown by a downtick in the monthly MACD histogram.
—Katie Stockton, CNBC, 30 Mar. 2026
Then, as the pandemic waned, in 2023 and early ’24, came two jolts to the system – federal pandemic-era assistance ended, pulling food and food-related funding away from charities, and the number of people seeking food continued to grow.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waned
Verb
-
That was in 2021, when league revenues decreased as a result of the pandemic.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Shooting percentages rapidly decreased after the intermission, and each team scored just 11 points in the third quarter.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Almost immediately, all his physical woes subsided.—
Kate Hogan,
PEOPLE,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Johnson said Boulder County's restrictions will stay in place until the fire danger has consistently subsided.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
More elderly people could find themselves at the mercy of an obscure government program meant to save them from harm and preserve their dignity when their ability to take care of themselves is diminished.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
-
But with the chances of a Fed rate cut later this year highly diminished now and, with the reality that a cut (if it is issued) is likely to be by just 25 basis points, these estimates are unlikely to change dramatically, either.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Floorboards were milled from walnut trees felled at a construction site in North Carolina.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
2 Apr. 2026
-
With a hollow interior trunk, Stumpy was among 158 trees felled in 2024 as part of a project aimed at shoring up a sea wall near the National Mall.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Such assurances provide little comfort to the relatives, friends and colleagues of those forcibly vanished.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Savannah Guthrie showed viewers her grief and desperation when her mother, Nancy, vanished two months ago.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But eventually, the anger ebbed; replaced by an all-too-familiar ache of grief laced with longing.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2026
-
West Ham’s defending once caused consternation among the fanbase, but those concerns have slowly ebbed away.—
Roshane Thomas,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waned. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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