decreasing

American  

[dih-kree-sing] / dɪˈkri sɪŋ /

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.

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

• decreasingly adverb
• undecreasing adjective
• undecreasingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of decreasing

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

Example Sentences

In the film, the temporal correlation between increased use of plastics and decreasing sperm count is presented as causative.

From Slate • Apr. 16, 2026

They also are sensitive to environmental conditions and can change chemical composition if stored at the wrong temperatures or shaken too vigorously, increasing the risk of an immune response or decreasing their effectiveness.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

And while the number of livestock farmers in Greece is decreasing, 13,000 new farmers were registered in Crete between 2019 and 2025.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Landfast ice in the Chukchi Sea has been decreasing for decades.

From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2026

But then a few years later, rates of execution and death sentencing were once again decreasing.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

• collapsing
• descending
• lowering
• plunging
• sliding
• tumbling
• weakening