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diminish

di·min·ish

diminish

 
 
pronunciation:
dih mIn ihsh
parts of speech:
intransitive verb, transitive verb
features:
Word Combinations (verb), Word Parts
part of speech: intransitive verb
definition: to decrease or abate; dwindle.
As the daylight began to diminish, we headed back to camp.The pain diminished somewhat after taking the medication.The volume of the trumpets should diminish gradually in this section.
synonyms:
abate, decrease, dwindle, shrink
antonyms:
accumulate, build, grow, increase, mount
similar words:
attenuate, bate, contract, dip, drop, ebb, fall, fall off, lessen, let up, lower, mitigate, moderate, ooze, relent, remit, slack, subside, taper, wane, waste
 
part of speech: transitive verb
inflections: diminishes, diminishing, diminished
definition 1: to decrease or cause to appear decreased in size, prestige, or importance.
He felt his wife's success in show business diminished his own achievements.
synonyms:
decrease
antonyms:
aggrandize, amplify, enhance, improve, increase, strengthen
similar words:
abate, attenuate, bate, belittle, contract, cut, debase, deduct, devaluate, dwarf, dwindle, eclipse, impair, lessen, lower, pare, reduce, shrink, taper
definition 2: to detract from the honor or reputation of; disparage; belittle.
His cowardice diminished him in his son's eyes.The accusation of tax evasion diminished her reputation as an honest politician.
synonyms:
belittle, deprecate, depreciate, discredit, disparage
antonyms:
boost
similar words:
abase, debase, degrade, demean, derogate, detract from, downgrade, eclipse, put down, run down
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
derivations: diminishingly (adv.), diminishment (n.)
Word PartsSubscriber feature About this feature