# diminish

Pronunciation: say "di-MIN-ish" /dɪˈmɪnɪʃ/

## Verb

1. To cause something to become smaller in size, amount, or degree.
   - Simple: To make something smaller in size or amount.
   - _Repeated layoffs diminish the company's ability to compete._
   - _Years of overuse had diminished the soil's fertility._
2. To become less or smaller in amount or degree.
   - Simple: To become smaller or less in amount over time.
   - _Public interest in the scandal slowly diminished._
   - _As supplies diminish, prices tend to rise._
3. To lessen the authority, dignity, or strength of someone or something.
   - Simple: To make someone or something seem less important or powerful.
   - _Critics tried to diminish her achievements._
   - _The scandal diminished the senator's standing among voters._
4. To make something appear smaller or less important than it truly is, or to dismiss it as unimportant.
   - Simple: To make something seem less important than it really is.
   - _Some reviewers diminish the film's flaws to please the studio._
   - _The official report diminished the scope of the problem._
5. To fade away little by little until nothing remains.
   - Simple: To slowly fade away until nothing is left.
   - _Daylight diminished as the sun sank behind the hills._
   - _Hopes of a rescue slowly diminish with each passing hour._
6. To take away or subtract an amount from a larger total.
   - Simple: To take an amount away from something else.
   - _High fees diminish the returns investors take home._
   - _Each repair diminished the fund set aside for emergencies._
7. To become gradually narrower toward an end or point.
   - Simple: To slowly get narrower toward one end.
   - _Classical columns diminish slightly as they rise, narrowing toward the capital._
   - _The spire diminished steadily until it ended in a sharp tip._

## Origin

The word was formed under the influence of both 'diminue' (from Old French diminuer, from Latin dīminuo) and 'minish'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/diminish (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).