reduced
Americanadjective
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made smaller, lower, or less; diminished.
Individuals who experience depression have reduced levels of serotonin in their brains.
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Mathematics. noting a polynomial equation in which the second highest power is missing.
The cubic equation x3 − 4x + 4 = 0 is reduced.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of reduced
Explanation
A reduced thing has been lessened or subtracted from. If you want to ride your bike in Italy and you’re on a budget, look for reduced airfare. For a reduced risk of injury, wear a helmet when you get there. To reduce something is to make it smaller or lessen it in some way. Therefore, anything reduced is smaller than it was before. If you’re pedaling your way through Italy and hit a giant hill, you’ll probably have reduced pedal power and go much slower. This word applies to things that are going down in degree or amount. There could be reduced pain, reduced cost, or reduced size. Anything described as reduced can also be called decreased.
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.
It also leads with the latest damage caused by the Venezuela earthquakes, saying: "Rescue teams were racing to Venezuela's shattered northern coast yesterday after almost simultaneous earthquakes reduced dozens of buildings to rubble."
From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026
“Financial markets slightly reduced expectations for U.S. interest-rate hikes this year,” the international economist and currency strategist says in a research report.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
In a story first reported by NBC7 San Diego, court records show that Rayna Bell pleaded guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge of eavesdropping using an electronic device.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026
For Americans with sarcopenic obesity, which is characterized by extra weight and reduced muscle mass in people mostly older than 65, frailty is a major concern.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 25, 2026
By dint of entreaties expressed in energetic whispers, I reduced the half-dozen to two: these however, he vowed he would select himself.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
