lexicow

diminish

/dɪˈmɪnɪʃ//dɪˈmɪnɪʃ/·verb
I watch a ball bounce down a floor, and each rebound rises a little lower than the last — a tall first leap, then a shyer one, then shyer still — while a faint curve traces the shrinking arcs and marks every height it lets go. It edges toward the line but never lands flat on it; a last small quiver always remains. Less and less, I learn, is not the same as nothing at all.
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Definition

To diminish is to grow smaller, weaker, or fewer — or to make something so. Daylight diminishes through autumn, savings diminish, and pain diminishes with rest. It can also mean to belittle: to diminish someone's achievement is to make it seem smaller than it is. The word shares ground with wane and abate, but diminish is the broadest of the three and works on quantity as readily as on intensity. Its natural opposite is to amplify or to expand — to make greater rather than less.

Examples

  • Public interest in the scandal diminished as fresher stories took over.
  • Nothing could diminish her enthusiasm for the long expedition ahead.
  • Each extra hour of study brought diminishing returns as fatigue set in.

Collocations

diminish over time·diminish in importance·gradually diminish·diminishing returns·show no sign of diminishing

Synonyms

decrease·lessen·dwindle·wane·reduce

Antonyms

amplify·expand·increase

Word family

diminished (adjective)·diminishing (adjective)·diminution (noun)

In TOEFL & IELTS

A core verb for describing downward trends, and the phrase 'diminishing returns' is a prized academic idiom for essays on economics, study, and effort. Distinguish it from its neighbours: wane suits a light or power fading, abate suits an intensity dying down, while diminish covers size and quantity too. The belittling sense ('diminish her contribution') is also worth knowing.