Diminish

• POS: Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: di=min=ish

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Diminish, v.
1 tr. & intr. make or become smaller or less.
2 tr. lessen the reputation or influence of (a person).

Idiom

law of diminishing returns Econ. the fact that the increase of expenditure, investment, taxation, etc., beyond a certain point ceases to produce a proportionate yield.

Derivative

diminishable adj.

Etymology

ME, blending of earlier minish f. OF menusier (formed as MINCE) and diminue f. OF diminuer f. L diminuere diminut- break up small

THESAURUS

Diminish

abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, ablate, abrade, abridge, abstract, abuse, adjust to, allay, alleviate, allow for, alter, anesthetize, appease, assuage, attemper, attenuate, bank the fire, bate, be eaten away, belittle, benumb, blunt, boil down, box in, bring down, bring low, chasten, cheapen, circumscribe, clip, close, color, compress, condense, condition, confine, constrain, constrict, consume, consume away, contract, control, corrode, crop, crumble, crush, curtail, cushion, cut, cut back, cut down, damp, dampen, de-emphasize, deaden, deaden the pain, debase, decline, decrease, deduct, deflate, degrade, deliquesce, demean, deprecate, depreciate, depress, derogate, desiccate, detract, detract from, devalue, die away, die out, discredit, dismiss, disparage, dispraise, dive, dock, downgrade, downplay, drain, draw in, drift away, droop, drop, drop off, dry up, dull, dump, dump on, dwindle, ease, ease matters, ease off, eat away, ebb, erode, extenuate, extract, fade, fade away, fall, fall away, fall off, file away, flag, foment, give relief, gloss over, go, go away, go in, hedge, hedge about, humiliate, ignore, impair, keep within bounds, languish, lay, leach, leaven, lenify, lessen, let up, lighten, limit, lop, lower, lull, make allowance for, melt away, mince, minify, minimize, mitigate, moderate, modify, modulate, mollify, move away, move off, narrow, numb, obtund, pad, palliate, pare, peter out, pine, play down, plummet, plunge, poultice, pour balm into, pour oil on, prune, pull away, purify, put down, qualify, recede, reduce, reduce the temperature, refine, regulate by, reject, relieve, remove, restrain, restrict, retire, retreat, retrench, retrocede, roll back, rub away, run low, sag, salve, scale down, sear, season, set conditions, set down, set limits, shorten, shrink, shrivel, simplify, sink, slacken, slake, slow down, slur over, smother, snape, sober, sober down, soft-pedal, soften, soothe, stand off, step down, stifle, straiten, stupe, subduct, subdue, subside, subtract, suppress, tail off, take away, take down, take from, tame, taper, taper off, temper, thin, thin out, tone down, trip up, truncate, tune down, underplay, varnish, vitiate, wane, waste, waste away, weaken, wear, wear away, weed, whitewash, widen the distance, wilt, wind down, withdraw, wither, wizen, write off

ROGET THESAURUS

Diminish

Smallness

VB be small, lie in a nutshell, diminish, (contract).

Decrease

VB decrease, diminish, lessen, abridge, shrink, drop off, fall off, tail off, fall away, waste, wear, wane, ebb, decline, descend, subside, melt away, die away, retire into the shade, hide its diminished head, fall to a low ebb, run low, languish, decay, crumble, bate, abate, dequantitate, discount, depreciate, extenuate, lower, weaken, attenuate, fritter away, mitigate, dwarf, throw into the shade, reduce, shorten, subtract.

Subtraction

VB subduct, subtract, deduct, deduce, bate, retrench, remove, withdraw, take from, take away, detract, garble, mutilate, amputate, detruncate, cut off, cut away, cut out, abscind, excise, pare, thin, prune, decimate, abrade, scrape, file, geld, castrate, eliminate, diminish, curtail, deprive of, weaken.

Contraction

VB become small, become smaller, lessen, decrease, grow less, dwindle, shrink, contract, narrow, shrivel, collapse, wither, lose flesh, wizen, fall away, waste, wane, ebb, decay, be smaller than, fall short of, not come up to, render smaller, lessen, diminish, contract, draw in, narrow, coarctate, boil down, constrict, constringe, condense, compress, squeeze, corrugate, crimp, crunch, crush, crumple up, warp, purse up, pack, squeeze, stow, pinch, tighten, strangle, cramp, dwarf, bedwarf, shorten, circumscribe, restrain, (subtraction) 38 abrade, pare, reduce, attenuate, rub down, scrape, file, file down, grind, grind down, chip, shave, shear, wear down.