minimize

American  

[min-uh-mahyz] / ˈmɪn əˌmaɪz /

especially British, minimise

verb (used with object)

minimizes, present (3rd person singular) minimized, past participle, past minimizing present participle

1. to reduce to the smallest possible amount or degree.

2. to represent at the lowest possible amount, value, importance, influence, etc., especially in a disparaging way; belittle.

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minimize British  

/ ˈmɪnɪˌmaɪz /

verb

1. to reduce to or estimate at the least possible degree or amount

   to minimize a risk

2. to rank or treat at less than the true worth; belittle

   to minimize someone's achievements

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• minimization
  noun
• minimizer
  noun
• unminimized
  adjective
• unminimizing
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• minimizing
  present
• minimized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• minimize
  simple
• minimizes
  simple
• have minimized
  perfect
• has minimized
  perfect
• am minimizing
  progressive
• are minimizing
  progressive
• is minimizing
  progressive
• have been minimizing
  perfect progressive
• has been minimizing
  perfect progressive

Past

• minimized
  simple
• had minimized
  perfect
• was minimizing
  progressive
• were minimizing
  progressive
• had been minimizing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will minimize
  simple
• will have minimized
  perfect
• will be minimizing
  progressive
• will have been minimizing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of minimize

First recorded in 1795–1805; minim(um) + -ize

Explanation

The verb minimize describes making something smaller or less serious. It typically refers to something negative that is being reduced, like when you eat at home instead of in restaurants to minimize expenses. To correctly pronounce minimize, accent the first syllable, which gets the short i sound: "MIH-nuh-mize." Minimize looks like minimum, which has the same spelling and meaning in English and Latin: smallest. To minimize something is to reduce it to its smallest amount — in size or importance. Other related words include minimal, miniscule, minute, and mini.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

minimize minimizes minimized minimizing

Consumers, however, have been advised to avoid several raw produce items to minimize their risks.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

Earthworks and Comité Cívico del Valle have repeatedly said they don’t outright oppose lithium development in the area, but want CTR to acknowledge and minimize potential harm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

The work was scheduled for a low-traffic period to minimize impact, the FAA said, and there was no loss of separation between aircraft.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

If you’re debt-free or take steps to minimize debt, that’s a major advantage.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 12, 2026

My father would often pick a lot as close to our destination as possible, shelling out more money for parking to minimize how far he’d have to walk on his unsteady legs.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

That minimizes the gift-tax hit for the founder and ensures that each piece of the stack can get its own $15 million exclusion when the company is worth more.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

As for your dinner: Anyone who minimizes your agency — whether it’s a friend or an acquaintance who is selling you something — is to be avoided.

From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026

"Anyone who minimizes violence against women and girls is not voicing an isolated opinion, but revealing a complacent attitude toward abuse," the center said in a statement.

From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026

"By combining optical nonlinear sensing, which effectively minimizes background noise, with an amplification-free design, our method offers a distinct balance of speed and precision."

From Science Daily ● Feb. 16, 2026

Among the many advantages of selective spraying is the fact that it minimizes the amount of chemical applied to the landscape.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Under the law of armed conflict, striking power infrastructure is permissible if it makes a concrete contribution to a military operation and the potential harm to civilians is minimized.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Sun reported her exit and minimized screen time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

"Strikingly, when this receptor was removed from the mice, the development of arterial plaques dropped significantly in some areas and disruptions to the gut microbiome were minimized."

From Science Daily ● Jun. 9, 2026

Noelle also implies — falsely — that cardio exercise can “throw your hormones off” and should be minimized, or even avoided.

From Salon ● May 8, 2026

Rather than depending on just a few crops that could fail, they minimized risk by developing an economy based on a great variety of wild foods, not all of which were likely to fail simultaneously.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

A 2026 Dietary Guidance to Improve Cardiovascular Health scientific statement from the American Heart Association recommends minimizing added sugar in foods and beverages.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026

The Society of Professional Journalists’ ethics code emphasizes minimizing harm while also acting in the public interest and holding power accountable.

From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026

You make it a much more modest annual charge, addressing long-term problems while minimizing the pain.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 5, 2026

Many regulations are essential guardrails of safety: minimizing the risk of financial crises, ensuring that our food isn’t harmful, protecting us from airplanes that malfunction, and so forth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

Holly had enough on-the-job experience to realize that she was under fire, and immediately curled her elfin frame into a ball, minimizing the target.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

Related Words

• curtail
• decrease
• diminish
• downplay
• lessen
• play down
• reduce
• trivialize
• underestimate