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
Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 21 June 2026
The bill was watered down after its sponsors, under pressure from the gambling companies and their lobbyists, struck a provision that would have banned all proposition bets.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 18 June 2026
Three federal health employees later told me political appointees had watered down the original language.
—CNN Money, 14 June 2026
Three federal health employees later told me political appointees had watered down the original language.
—Annie Waldman, ProPublica, 9 June 2026
By then, his sentence got watered down by Epstein’s lawyers.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 4 June 2026
Many watered down those authorities.
—Rob Stein, NPR, 4 June 2026
Her looks were watered down and her ratios have proven unlovely.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026
The concierge idea is being watered down in favor of dealerships, perhaps shared with Hyundai and Kia.
—Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026
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
But consumer advocates watch with dismay as some of those ideas are gutted or watered down.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 21 June 2026
The bill was watered down after its sponsors, under pressure from the gambling companies and their lobbyists, struck a provision that would have banned all proposition bets.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 18 June 2026
Three federal health employees later told me political appointees had watered down the original language.
—CNN Money, 14 June 2026
Three federal health employees later told me political appointees had watered down the original language.
—Annie Waldman, ProPublica, 9 June 2026
By then, his sentence got watered down by Epstein’s lawyers.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 4 June 2026
Many watered down those authorities.
—Rob Stein, NPR, 4 June 2026
Her looks were watered down and her ratios have proven unlovely.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026
The concierge idea is being watered down in favor of dealerships, perhaps shared with Hyundai and Kia.
—Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026
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
-
By the time Emmet Sheehan took the mound, the smell had diluted, and the sunshine broke through the haze.—
Liana Handler,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
-
If less current is flowing, the system can reduce the flow so the product does not become too diluted.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
After failing to score with the bases loaded in the third, the Angels pulled away with four runs in the sixth.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
-
The threat to state insurance supervision is therefore loaded but not fired, and anyone telling you the states have already lost, or already won, is getting ahead of the facts.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
At least two babies have been infected with measles in California so far this year.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
More than 150 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas have been infected with influenza over the past three weeks — a major outbreak less than two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said American troops would no longer be required to be vaccinated against the flu.—
Maegan Vazquez,
Washington Post,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
The current unrest first erupted in May after Paz cut long-standing fuel subsidies to shrink the deficit.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
-
Some analysts expect Apple could benefit as manufacturers of Android devices cut specs or raise prices.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Watered-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watered-down. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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