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

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Recent Examples of watering down But Reeves and Starmer faced criticism for some of their fiscal policies, such as increasing National Insurance — a kind of tax on employment — for businesses, and watering down welfare reforms to appease backbench lawmakers. — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 21 July 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for watering down

Verb

Instead of diluting its elite credibility to reach a broader audience, the brand translated that credibility into environments where the average person could understand its every day relevance.

— Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
The opposition was loud and varied, but a familiar line was that selling a portion of shares would cede control from fan groups to private investors, diluting the influence of supporters over time.

— Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 27 July 2026

Definition of diluting

Verb

Plenty of my friends worked there loading clays; nothing like working in a box in the middle of August, with the sun beating down on a barren landscape, just make gas money and some Friday night jingle.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Still, trading Ray will be another avenue to continue loading a farm system on the rise.

— Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 31 July 2026

Definition of loading

Verb

When cutting them back in the fall for the winter, leave a few branches for wildlife to use for protection, but be sure to remove all of the dead branches to reduce the risk of diseases.

— Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Aug. 2026
Broadcasters of all sizes, especially local station owners, have been battling cord-cutting and coping with ongoing audience and advertiser shifts away from linear viewing.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of cutting

Verb

To quickly get the facilities online, the company brought in heavily polluting gas turbines that residents complain is making the air hard to breathe.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 5 Aug. 2026
Apart from polluting ecosystems and leaving toxic residues on human food sources, these aggressive chemicals drive pests to develop genetic resistance, rendering treatments ineffective over time.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of polluting

Verb

Only the 2014–16 Ebola epidemic in West Africa has been larger and deadlier, infecting more than 28,600 people and killing 11,325 across Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

— Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
The thick, blackish blood that leaks out of these dying animals pours into the ground, infecting it with spores.

— RJ Mackenzie, Popular Science, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of infecting

Verb

In the past farmers have been suspected of deliberately poisoning elephants to prevent them from eating crops.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
Historically used in dry cleaning or to degrease metal parts, the chemicals leaked into the base’s wells, poisoning the drinking water.

— WUFT News, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026

Definition of poisoning

Browse Nearby Words

watering cans

watering down

watering hole

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“Watering down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watering%20down. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of watering down

verb

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