decreasing

[dih-kree-sing]

adjective

1. becoming less or fewer; diminishing.

2. Mathematics.,  (of a function) having the property that for any two points in the domain such that one is larger than the other, the image of the larger point is less than or equal to the image of the smaller point; nonincreasing.

Other Word Forms

• decreasingly adverb
• undecreasing adjective
• undecreasingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of decreasing¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; decrease, -ing ²

Related Words

• collapsing www.thesaurus.com
• descending www.thesaurus.com
• lowering 
• plunging www.thesaurus.com
• sliding 
• tumbling 
• weakening www.thesaurus.com

When To Use

What does decreasing mean?

Decreasing is an adjective that means lessening or in decline—becoming less in number, amount, size, or in some other way.It comes from the continuous tense (-ing form) of the verb decrease, which means to lessen or become reduced in number, amount, size, or in some other way, as in Our profits will continue to decrease unless we cut costs.The word decreased can also be used as an adjective to describe things that have lessened or declined, as in a decreased appetite.Example: Decreasing sales have forced the company to cut costs.