watered-down
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of watered-down
First recorded in 1895–1900
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.
But the BMA ended the talks saying the deal - and in particular the pay progression element - had been watered-down at the last minute.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
A watered-down definition, meanwhile, could end up allowing certain ultraprocessed foods to fly under the radar, especially if food companies find a way to get around whatever UPF definition or label is proposed.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026
The comments came before a meeting of EU environment ministers in Cyprus this week to review last November's UN climate summit, which ended with a watered-down pact that omitted EU demands over fossil fuels.
From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026
There’s a bit of “Jaws” in “Beast of War,” which is also evocative of Hitchcock’s “Lifeboat” while being something of a watered-down version of both.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026
He made me drag the zinc tubs full of watered-down rose blankets into the shed room by the back porch.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
Definitions 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.
