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

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Etymology

Origin of minimize

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

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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

Meiser’s partner said their approach was intended to minimize chaos in the jail system.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

The yearly adjustments for inflation that the government makes to various tax inputs present an opportunity for those trying to minimize their lifetime tax bill and optimize their retirement strategies.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026

To minimize this problem, physicists developed techniques known as "quantum nondemolition measurements," or QND.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

They shouldn’t go to regional plants, which the Postal Service says should minimize delays.

From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026

She wanted to minimize the risk of injury before Rio and also make sure her Olympic hopefuls wouldn’t burn out before the Games.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

Saylor’s answer was that his involvement minimizes risks and swings.

From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026

The matte surface of the interior 7.6-inch screen minimizes reflections to hide it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 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

Los Azules has promised to use an extraction method that minimizes water use.

From Barron's ● May 23, 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

And women’s contributions were often minimized by putting the focus elsewhere.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

But it also suggests that viewers are mature enough to absorb the tougher truths omitted from Wilder’s original vision, as well as the roles of others who were minimized, like Sims’ good doctor.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 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

As a result, some of the worst threats have gone unanswered, or been minimized, or been swept aside under the banner of “free speech.”

From Slate ● May 12, 2026

As the only black student at Carroll College in tiny Waukesha, Wisconsin, Fuller struggled to talk and act in ways that minimized the distance between himself and his classmates.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Without minimizing the scariness of war, it’s time for a hard pivot.

From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2026

Their findings, published in Nature Communications, could guide the development of safer statins that maintain their cholesterol-lowering benefits while minimizing muscle damage.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026

“Understanding how quickly that population is growing will help us think about things like minimizing traffic collisions,” Spasojevic said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

One alternative is always to buy slowly and in stages, minimizing the painful risk of buying right at the peak.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

Pollard had delivered a masterpiece of reinsmanship, avoiding the traps and saving ground while minimizing his run along the boggy rail.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

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Related Words

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

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