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
States that are already watering down or even eliminating vaccine requirements may align with the administration’s decision to neglect and hide the data, contributing to a growing gap between states on vaccine policy, further fragmenting and politicizing decisions that should be based on science.
—
Jill Rosenthal, STAT, 14 Jan. 2026
Proxies and acolytes are deployed to the networks to underscore the strength of the president’s stance while subtly watering down threats and reassuring investors.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 13 Oct. 2025
Stop watering down your message to avoid offending anyone.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Jill Rosenthal, STAT, 14 Jan. 2026
Proxies and acolytes are deployed to the networks to underscore the strength of the president’s stance while subtly watering down threats and reassuring investors.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 13 Oct. 2025
Stop watering down your message to avoid offending anyone.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for watering down
Verb
-
In a similar lawsuit, Texas Democrats challenged a congressional map drawn by Republicans, arguing that the map likely discriminates against Hispanic and Black Texans by diluting their votes in the upcoming election.—
Noe Padilla,
USA Today,
14 Jan. 2026
-
There are ways to enjoy juice without spiking your blood sugar, including by diluting the juice with water.—
Health,
Health,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The container is insulated and protected from weather and palletized for easy transport using a forklift for loading onto vehicles or aircraft.—
Gidget Fuentes,
USA Today,
5 Jan. 2026
-
There might also be loading instructions in the machine’s manual.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The president argued that inflation was already low enough to start cutting rates.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Trump has repeatedly blasted Powell for the Fed not cutting interest rates as much and as quickly as the president has demanded since entering the White House in January 2025.—
Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Chemical rockets put out huge plumes of polluting exhaust, and for a massive machine like the SpaceX Starship, with 33 first-stage engines, that can add up—especially with hundreds of launches planned.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The evidence is overwhelming and very difficult for high-polluting foreign governments to credibly challenge.—
Chip Lamarca,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Research shows that caffeine increases the concentration of blood-thinning medication in the bloodstream, enhancing its effects.—
Carrie Madormo,
Verywell Health,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Boost Flavor in a Flash Tomato paste adds instant richness without thinning the dish.—
Anne Wolf,
Martha Stewart,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
It's revealed that this beauty drug is infecting people with a virus that leads to death, luring in an investigation by FBI Agents Cooper Madsen, played by Evan Peters, and Jordan Bennett, played by Rebecca Hall.—
Yamillah Hurtado,
PEOPLE,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, the Larian Studios RPG follows a party that seeks to cure themselves of a parasitic tadpole infecting their brains.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In the novel, the story instead concludes aboard the Princess Andromeda cruise ship, where Luke is tricked into confessing to poisoning Thalia’s tree, clearing Chiron’s name.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The study reveals that Cl–Fe–N4 exhibits stronger Cl–poisoning resistance in seawater environments.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Watering down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watering%20down. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
