WATERING DOWN Synonyms: 67 Similar and Opposite Words

watering down

verb

present participle of water down

as in diluting

to alter (something) for the worse with the addition of foreign or lower-grade substances watered down the cocktails while jacking up their prices

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of watering down Asking for sportsbook revenue while simultaneously watering down the product and coddling rule-breakers with minor-league rehab is a terrible look. — Geoff Clark Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2026 These rules have already been subject to watering down proposals. — Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026 But the most basic reforms seem to require years of discussion and back-and-forth and watering down. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 17 June 2026 Dress the salad right before serving to prevent the melon and cucumbers from watering down the vinaigrette. — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 23 May 2026 But watering down safe Republican seats in a tough year for the incumbent party, could backfire, some have predicted. — Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2026 Name, image and likeness money is pulling guys with borderline first-round grades back to school, which is watering down the top of each class. — Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026 Trump blinked, pausing and watering down many of those tariffs in response to extreme market pressure. — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026 On Wednesday, The Times reported that Bass was directly involved in watering down the city’s after-action report on the fire, citing unnamed sources. — David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for watering down

Verb

Most experts recommend starting with 15-30 milliliters (mL), or 1-2 tablespoons, and diluting it with a full glass of water or tea.

— Sarah Bradley, Health, 8 July 2026
Very few retailers have successfully built that progression without diluting individual brands.

— Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of diluting

Verb

Riyadh has been diverting about four million barrels a day of crude oil from their east-west pipeline over to Yanbu, loading tankers, many of which are going out the Red Sea, data provided by Lipow showed.

— Lee Ying Shan,Sam Meredith, CNBC, 14 July 2026
Add 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide to the washer drum or the automatic bleach dispenser before loading white clothes into the washer.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 14 July 2026

Definition of loading

Verb

The vibes at Wrigley should be stellar this weekend as the Champions Gate at Gallagher Way will be unveiled before Saturday’s game with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

— LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026
Rather than report on every float in this parade of horribles, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed and hirsute higher education observer Bryan Alexander have started cost-cutting trackers.

— Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of cutting

Verb

Another study, published in Nature, found that Canadian wildfires in 2023, when more than 43 million acres burned, generated more emissions than the burning of fossil fuels in all but the three most-polluting countries.

— Joshua Partlow, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026
The solution is to support federal and state legislation that encourages lower-cost, less-polluting renewable energy to speed up the transition away from environmentally damaging fossil fuels.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2026

Definition of polluting

Verb

Aging bones are more fragile, making fractures more likely, while blood-thinning medications, which many older adults take, can increase the risk of severe internal bleeding after a fall.

— Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mercury News, 13 July 2026
The autopsy found the wall had been thinning from the inside for a long time, its elastic fibers fragmenting.

— Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News, 13 July 2026

Definition of thinning

Verb

One of Robinson's attorneys, Kathryn Nester, also represented Kouri Richins, who was convicted of poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, in March 2022.

— Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2026
Lewis was accused of poisoning two white female housemates, assaulted by a white mob in response to the charge, and acquitted in court, only to then be accused of stealing art supplies and prohibited from reënrolling.

— Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 8 June 2026

Definition of poisoning

Browse Nearby Words

watering cans

watering down

watering hole

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Watering down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watering%20down. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of watering down

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

raffish

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes