retrenchment

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: re=trench=ment

CIDE DICTIONARY

retrenchment, n. [Cf. F. retrenchment.].

•  The act or process of retrenching; as, the retrenchment of words in a writing.  [1913 Webster]

  "The retrenchment of my expenses will convince you that "  [1913 Webster]
•  A work constructed within another, to prolong the defense of the position when the enemy has gained possession of the outer work; or to protect the defenders till they can retreat or obtain terms for a capitulation.  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- Lessening; curtailment; diminution; reduction; abridgment.

THESAURUS

retrenchment

abbreviation, abridgment, abstract, apocope, arrest, arrestation, attrition, check, cheeseparing, compression, condensation, conspectus, constraint, control, cooling, cooling down, cooling off, curb, curtailment, cut, cutback, cutting, deceleration, decrease, decrement, depletion, depreciation, derogation, detraction, diminution, dip, disparagement, economization, economizing, elision, ellipsis, epitome, extraction, foreshortening, hindrance, impairment, inhibition, injunction, interdict, legal restraint, lessening, low growth rate, monopoly, precis, prohibition, protection, protectionism, protective tariff, pullback, rationing, recap, recapitulation, reduction, reduction of expenses, reduction of spending, rein, remission, restraint, restraint of trade, retardation, retraction, rollback, saving, scraping, scrimping, self-control, shortening, shrinkage, skimping, slowdown, slowing down, sparing, summary, summation, syncope, synopsis, tariff wall, telescoping, thought control, truncation

ROGET THESAURUS

retrenchment

Subtraction

N nonaddition, subtraction, subtraction, subduction, deduction, retrenchment, removal, withdrawal, ablation, sublation, abstraction, garbling mutilation, detruncation, amputation, abscission, excision, recision, curtailment, minuend, subtrahend, decrease, abrasion, subtracted, subtractive, in deduction, less, short of, minus, without, except, except for, excepting, with the exception of, barring, save, exclusive of, save and except, with a reservation, not counting, if one doesn't count.

Economy

N economy, frugality, thrift, thriftiness, care, husbandry, good housewifery, savingness, retrenchment, savings, prevention of waste, save-all, cheese parings and candle ends, parsimony, cost-cutting, cost control, economical, frugal, careful, thrifty, saving, chary, spare, sparing, parsimonious, underpaid, sparingly, ne quid nimis, adde parvum parvo magnus acervus erit, magnum est vectigal parsimonia.

Shortness

N shortness, brevity, littleness, a span, shortening, abbreviation, abbreviature, abridgment, concision, retrenchment, curtailment, decurtation, reduction, epitome, elision, ellipsis, conciseness, abridger, epitomist, epitomizer, short, brief, curt, compendious, compact, stubby, scrimp, shorn, stubbed, stumpy, thickset, pug, chunky, decurtate, retrousse, stocky, squab, squabby, squat, dumpy, little, curtailed of its fair proportions, short by, oblate, concise, summary, shortly, in short.