diminish

verb

di·​min·​ish də-ˈmi-nish How to pronounce diminish (audio)
diminished; diminishing; diminishes

transitive verb

1
: to make less or cause to appear less
diminish an army's strength
His role in the company was diminished.
2
: to lessen the authority, dignity, or reputation of : belittle
diminish a rival's accomplishments
3
architecture : to cause to taper (see taper entry 1 sense 1)
a diminished column

intransitive verb

1
: to become gradually less (as in size or importance) : dwindle
the side effects tend to diminish over time
2
architecture : taper
diminishable adjective
diminishment noun
Choose the Right Synonym for diminish

decrease, lessen, diminish, reduce, abate, dwindle mean to grow or make less.

decrease suggests a progressive decline in size, amount, numbers, or intensity.

slowly decreased the amount of pressure

lessen suggests a decline in amount rather than in number.

has been unable to lessen her debt

diminish emphasizes a perceptible loss and implies its subtraction from a total.

his visual acuity has diminished

reduce implies a bringing down or lowering.

you must reduce your caloric intake

abate implies a reducing of something excessive or oppressive in force or amount.

the storm abated

dwindle implies progressive lessening and is applied to things growing visibly smaller.

their provisions dwindled slowly

Examples of diminish in a Sentence

The strength of the army was greatly diminished by outbreaks of disease. The drug's side effects should diminish over time. Nothing could diminish the importance of his contributions.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The intense criticism of the COVID response has left a lingering public distrust in health and diminished their influence. Tina Reed, Axios, 10 Mar. 2025 The seeming smallness of the story does nothing to diminish the film’s bleakness nor blunt its ultimately devastating impact. Emma Specter, Vogue, 9 Mar. 2025 That's not a star, however, but a once brilliant planet that continues to diminish in brightness: Mars. Joe Rao, Space.com, 8 Mar. 2025 Though the Brookings Institution cites lower natural gas costs as the reason for coal's decline over the past 10 years, that trend has coincided with the rise of the green energy economy, and coal's status as a diminishing energy source has become a rallying point for Trump's base. Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for diminish

Word History

Etymology

Middle English deminishen, alteration of diminuen, from Anglo-French diminuer, from Late Latin diminuere, alteration of Latin deminuere, from de- + minuere to lessen — more at minor

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of diminish was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Diminish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diminish. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

diminish

verb
di·​min·​ish də-ˈmin-ish How to pronounce diminish (audio)
1
: to make less or cause to appear less
2
: to lessen the authority, dignity, or reputation of : belittle
3
: to become gradually less (as in size or importance) : dwindle
diminishment noun

More from Merriam-Webster on diminish

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