diminish
Americanverb (used with object)
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diminishes,
present (3rd person singular)
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diminished,
past participle, past
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diminishing
present participle
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to make or cause to seem smaller, less, less important, etc.; lessen; reduce.
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Architecture. to give (a column) a form tapering inward from bottom to top.
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Music. to make (an interval) smaller by a chromatic half step than the corresponding perfect or minor interval.
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to detract from the authority, honor, stature, or reputation of; disparage.
verb (used without object)
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diminishes,
present (3rd person singular)
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diminished,
past participle, past
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diminishing
present participle
verb
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to make or become smaller, fewer, or less
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(tr) architect to cause (a column, etc) to taper
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(tr) music to decrease (a minor or perfect interval) by a semitone
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to belittle or be belittled; reduce in authority, status, etc; depreciate
Usage
What does diminish mean? To diminish is to become smaller, fewer, or less, as in If we don’t order more, our stock of supplies will slowly diminish until we run out completely. It can also mean to make smaller, fewer, or less, as in We need to diminish our reliance on fossil fuels. Close synonyms of these senses of diminish are reduce, decrease, and lessen. Diminish can also be used in less literal ways. It can mean to make something seem smaller or less significant, as in The senator tried to diminish his role in the scandal. The verb downplay is used in a similar way. To diminish a person is to reduce or take away from their stature, reputation, or authority in some way—to belittle or disparage them, as in The new tell-all book is clearly an attempt to diminish a man who is regarded as a legend in his field. Example: My interest in sports has diminished since I was a kid—I’m only a casual fan now.
Synonym Usage
See decrease.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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diminishmentnoun
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prediminishmentnoun
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undiminishablenessnoun
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prediminishverb (used with object)
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diminishableadjective
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nondiminishingadjective
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undiminishableadjective
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undiminishedadjective
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undiminishingadjective
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diminishinglyadverb
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undiminishablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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diminishsimple
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diminishessimple
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have diminishedperfect
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has diminishedperfect
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am diminishingprogressive
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are diminishingprogressive
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is diminishingprogressive
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have been diminishingperfect progressive
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has been diminishingperfect progressive
Past
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diminishedsimple
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had diminishedperfect
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was diminishingprogressive
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were diminishingprogressive
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had been diminishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of diminish
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; blend of diminuen (from Anglo-French diminuer, from Medieval Latin dīminuere, from Latin dēminuere “to make smaller”) and minishen minish
Explanation
Diminish means to make smaller or lesser. If you cover a lightbulb with a dark lamp shade, the light from the lamp will diminish. It can also mean become less important. Once the light has been dimmed, its role in lighting the room is diminished. If you look at diminish, you see 'minis' which comes from the Latin word minus, as in subtraction. Other words that share this root are miniature and minuscule, all of which mean something that is small, or at least smallish.
Vocabulary lists containing diminish
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 2
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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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.
See Examples For:
As some parts of the ocean warm, low cloud cover can diminish.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
But that doesn’t diminish its staying power as one of the most reliable timepieces in the Omega lineup.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
David Tamayo, head of Colombia's disaster relief agency, acknowledged that the "likelihood of finding survivors is going to diminish" after Thursday.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
The life Mr. Meyer reconstructs reads as a sustained revolt against the power of categories to diminish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
My parents’ love for me didn’t diminish with my looks.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
The "gender pace gap" diminishes to 0.25% in 100-mile races, according to a study of more than 20 years of amateur ultra-race data conducted by RunRepeat, in collaboration with the International Association of Ultrarunners,
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
The concept of choosing time over money diminishes for mothers who feel unable to pause their careers, even when personal or caregiving demands intensify.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
As that plutonium supply steadily diminishes, each spacecraft loses about 4 watts of available power every year.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
Hague said, adding that the company’s research shows consumers don’t believe the practice diminishes the quality of a newscast.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
“Sure,” he says, “consent feels nice. Letting people decide what’s going to happen with their tissue seems like the right thing to do. But consent diminishes the value of tissue.”
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Randy, secretly taking a GLP-1 himself, insists to his wife Sharon that his newly diminished appetite is simply evidence of superior habits.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
In some sense, it is a miracle that the party survived, though it has held on in a deeply diminished fashion.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026
LAHSA, already diminished by the county’s decision last year to divert its homelessness funds to a new county homelessness department, now retains contracts for programs in the city.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
The U.S. captured the 9/11 plotters, chased the Taliban who had protected Osama from Afghanistan, and diminished al Qaeda’s ability to attack again.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Although that sort of thing usually ran its course and diminished over time, it was not the case when it came to the gleaning of Kohl Whitlock.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Dale pointed to how his own father would often tell him "I love you" after letting him down, diminishing the meaning of the words.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Given the sheer size of the devastation and the passing days, the chances of finding survivors are diminishing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
The US cattle herd has shrunk to its lowest level since the 1950s -- in part due to drought and international competition -- with the diminishing herd size pushing cattle prices higher.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Attempts to simply talk up the yen were running up against the law of diminishing returns.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
“Oh, I will. As soon as I find the specific sheep that contributed to my diminishing dislike of winter, I plan to write a thank-you note.”
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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.
