tapered
Americanadjective
-
becoming gradually thinner, narrower, or smaller toward one end.
The tapered table leg has long been a classic design.
The wine’s bouquet hit our nostrils the moment we opened the elegantly tapered bottle.
-
reduced gradually over time.
Once the allergic reaction had been alleviated, the patient was discharged with a tapered steroid dose and scheduled for outpatient follow-up.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tapered
First recorded in 1620–30; taper 1 ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; taper 1 ( def. ) + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb sense
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
After I came off the bipolar meds, a different medication helped me through a hard year, and when I was ready, I tapered off slowly while working with my doctor.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
Some have sent a detailed proposal to the department setting out a "tapered" alternative scheme.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Meanwhile, ChatGPT’s growth suddenly tapered off after Google’s own consumer chatbot began to surge in popularity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
The study "A southward differentiated impactor forms the tapered shape of the South Pole-Aitken impact basin on the Moon" was published in Science Advances.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 22, 2026
Maddie flew alone, careful and happy, low over the snow-tipped Highlands on those pretty tapered wings, deafened by the Merlin engine, navigating by dead reckoning.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
