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

He suggests that the decreasing numbers of people who may previously have taken the odd deer for their dinner table is also a factor.

From BBC

It seems decreasingly ironic the more we hear it.

From The Wall Street Journal

Public Health Scotland said it had seen two weeks of cases decreasing.

From BBC

"Labor income systematically lifts individuals up in comparison to others. Capital income, which is more unstable and concentrated, is more often associated with decreasing income," Iacono said.

From Science Daily

The IEA sees demand in China, the top coal consuming nation, decreasing somewhat over the next five years.

From Barron's

Related Words

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