as in adulterated
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as in diluted
to alter (something) for the worse with the addition of foreign or lower-grade substances
watered down the cocktails while jacking up their prices
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Recent Examples of watered-down
Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Some of his bolder earlier pledges did not make the election manifesto and others were watered down.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Will transparency reveal true costs, or be watered down before decisions are made?
—Geoff Watkinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026
With Parsons, Green Bay’s defense got watered down.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 25 Jan. 2026
But, faced with intense backlash from cities and law enforcement agencies, the legislator watered down her bill.
—Calmatters, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
Kennedy made a panoply of promises but, so far, has watered down or failed to achieved most of them.
—Isabella Cueto, STAT, 29 Dec. 2025
The measure has since been watered down and now requires children between the ages of 8 to 16, starting in 2027, to pass a five-step test to be considered properly restrained by a seat belt.
—Calmatters, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
This is proof that a novel doesn’t need to be watered down in its style or ideas in order to hold a reader’s attention.
—Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
In the decades since, silencing of even that watered-down (if in some ways more accurate) term has been linked to fossil fuel companies suppressing science to boost profits.
—Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
This was all before sources told The Times last week that Bass ordered an after-action report on the Palisades fire be — no pun intended — watered down to limit legal liability against the city.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Some of his bolder earlier pledges did not make the election manifesto and others were watered down.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Will transparency reveal true costs, or be watered down before decisions are made?
—Geoff Watkinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026
With Parsons, Green Bay’s defense got watered down.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 25 Jan. 2026
But, faced with intense backlash from cities and law enforcement agencies, the legislator watered down her bill.
—Calmatters, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
Kennedy made a panoply of promises but, so far, has watered down or failed to achieved most of them.
—Isabella Cueto, STAT, 29 Dec. 2025
The measure has since been watered down and now requires children between the ages of 8 to 16, starting in 2027, to pass a five-step test to be considered properly restrained by a seat belt.
—Calmatters, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
This is proof that a novel doesn’t need to be watered down in its style or ideas in order to hold a reader’s attention.
—Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for watered-down
Adjective
-
The company in 2020 pleaded guilty to distributing adulterated ice-cream products and agreed to pay a fine over the outbreak.—
Dylan Tokar,
WSJ,
2 Feb. 2023
-
And while most of those overdoses involved the illicit synthetic opioid fentanyl, experts say that an adulterated and contaminated drug supply is also leading to deaths.—
Nadia Kounang,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2022
Verb
-
With enough snow and sleet, the salt is diluted and cannot inhibit freezing.—
Julia James,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Feb. 2026
-
While vinegar and lemon juice work, they should be diluted with water before being used to treat hard water stains.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Roads like Brook Forest could be so loaded up that people might drive on both sides of the road to exit in a real fire threat.—
Alan Gionet,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
-
From there, the Aggies (2-0) loaded the bases for shortstop Boston Kellner, who doubled home a run to push the lead to 5-0.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The vaccination status of those infected is not disclosed.—
Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Each year in Norway, about 2% of babies infected with RSV are admitted to the hospital.—
Ariana Hendrix,
STAT,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In the men's singles final in figure skating, the NBC telecast just cut to a shot of American Max Naumov, who was juggling a soccer ball.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Catherine’s brother Hindley, a vicious bully whose abuse is part of what drives Cathy and Heathcliff so closely together, is cut entirely, his role combined with Catherine’s father.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Watered-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watered-down. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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