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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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 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

The filing shed more light on Meta's plan to create a new class of non-voting stock, Class C, in January to help finance investments and acquisitions without diluting CEO Mark Zuckerberg's voting control.

— Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
This method prevents nitrogen from diluting the exhaust gas, which hinders combustion and keeps the CO₂ concentration relatively low.

— Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of diluting

Verb

The Guardians answered against Tyler Wells and Ian Seymour by loading the bases on two singles and a walk with two outs.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
The Guardians answered against Tyler Wells and Ian Seymour by loading the bases with two outs in the eighth on two singles and a walk.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of loading

Verb

Leslie took issue with a recent stunt Kennedy had pulled at the hospital, which involved making a surprise appearance for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open his signature vaccine injury clinic.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 23 Oct. 2026
Stephanie Keith | Bloomberg | Getty Images American Express is cutting thousands of employees as the leading credit card company prepares for artificial intelligence to take over more of its internal processes.

— Hugh Son, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of cutting

Verb

Throwing a piece of garbage out of the window affects every Texan, polluting water and soil and affecting wildlife.

— Katie Standing, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
This means the development of new clean energy sources will provide greater financial benefits to families rather than polluting, expensive, and outdated sources of energy like oil and gas.

— Sanya Carley, Time, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of polluting

Verb

County officials said the facility could reduce the need to haul forest debris long distances and create a local use for material removed during forest-thinning and wildfire-prevention work.

— Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Guaifenesin may help relieve chest congestion by thinning mucus in your airways, says Reed.

— Andee Tagle, NPR, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of thinning

Verb

Produced by Yara Goubran) When a mysterious epidemic begins infecting women in a remote fishing village, fear quickly turns the community against them.

— Essie Assibu, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Eventually, the capability could enable computer worms, which propagate without requiring human interaction and are capable of infecting unfamiliar IoT devices.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of infecting

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 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of watering down

verb

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