diminishing returns

American  

[dih-min-ish-ing ri-turnz] / dɪˈmɪn ɪʃ ɪŋ rɪˈtɜrnz /

noun

1. any rate of profit, production, benefits, etc., that beyond a certain point fails to increase proportionately with added investment, effort, or skill.

2. Also called law of diminishing returns.  Economics. the fact, often stated as a law or principle, that when any factor of production, as labor, is increased while other factors, as capital and land, are held constant in amount, the output per unit of the variable factor will eventually diminish.

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diminishing returns British  

plural noun

1. progressively smaller rises in output resulting from the increased application of a variable input, such as labour, to a fixed quantity, as of capital or land

2. the increase in the average cost of production that may arise beyond a certain point as a result of increasing the overall scale of production

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Etymology

Origin of diminishing returns

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

Such threats have been repeated so often that they now face diminishing returns.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

But keep in mind that there does come a point of diminishing returns.

From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026

With the vast sums likely to be raised — and spent — by both sides, Kondik said that fundraising can reach a point of diminishing returns.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

For Iran’s beleaguered government, winning requires hunkering down as its attackers face diminishing returns from each new day of battle.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

Always the worst time of day, the old man pondered, a process of diminishing returns.

From The Land of Look Behind by Brown, Paul Cameron