minimize

[min-uh-mahyz]

See more synonyms for minimize on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), min·i·mized, min·i·miz·ing.

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

Also especially British, min·i·mise.

Origin of minimize

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

Related formsmin·i·mi·za·tion, nounmin·i·miz·er, nounun·min·i·mized, adjectiveun·min·i·miz·ing, adjective

Can be confusedminimal minimize minimum minuscule minutia (see usage note at minuscule)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for minimizing

Contemporary Examples

Those 4.1 days of vacation often include a weekend, minimizing the risk of finding somebody else in your seat when you return.
Obama’s Extravagant Summer Break? More Like, America’s Vacation-Deficit Disorder
Clive Irving
August 10, 2014
Speaking of the TSA leads directly into a final way of minimizing the excesses and wastefulness of a national surveillance state.
Four Principles for a Libertarian National Security State
Nick Gillespie
September 14, 2013
But, the essay is also myopic—once again exaggerating Jewish guilt and minimizing Palestinian blame and responsibility.
What Beinart Overlooks in His 'American Jewish Cocoon' Article
Gil Troy
September 4, 2013
But then people started defending--or minimizing to the point of untruth--the clearly indefensible.
Why Hugo Chavez Was Bad for Venezuela
Megan McArdle
March 7, 2013
I'm not minimizing the problem of prescription drug abuse, mind you; I've known a few people who've had a hard time with it.
Bloomberg’s Latest Crackdown: Prescription Drugs
Megan McArdle
January 11, 2013

Historical Examples

The spiral motion has the effect of minimizing this difficulty.
The Wonder Island Boys: The Mysteries of the Caverns
Roger Thompson Finlay
I would not have you think that I am minimizing the value of the services of these men.
The Emma Gees
Herbert Wes McBride
It had made him, promptly, fall back on minimizing it—that is on minimizing "fuss."
The Golden Bowl
Henry James
The problem will never be solved by minimizing or deriding or misunderstanding it.
Aliens or Americans?
Howard B. Grose
Both stood for toleration and for the minimizing of the differences between the sects.
Theodicy
G. W. Leibniz

British Dictionary definitions for minimizing

minimize

minimise

verb (tr)

to reduce to or estimate at the least possible degree or amountto minimize a risk
to rank or treat at less than the true worth; belittleto minimize someone's achievements

Derived Formsminimization or minimisation, nounminimizer or minimiser, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for minimizing

minimize

v.

1802, first recorded in Bentham; see minimum + -ize.

minimize

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}minimize

Examples from the Web for minimizing

Contemporary Examples

Those 4.1 days of vacation often include a weekend, minimizing the risk of finding somebody else in your seat when you return.

Speaking of the TSA leads directly into a final way of minimizing the excesses and wastefulness of a national surveillance state.

But, the essay is also myopic—once again exaggerating Jewish guilt and minimizing Palestinian blame and responsibility.

But then people started defending--or minimizing to the point of untruth--the clearly indefensible.

I'm not minimizing the problem of prescription drug abuse, mind you; I've known a few people who've had a hard time with it.

Historical Examples

The spiral motion has the effect of minimizing this difficulty.

I would not have you think that I am minimizing the value of the services of these men.

It had made him, promptly, fall back on minimizing it—that is on minimizing "fuss."

The problem will never be solved by minimizing or deriding or misunderstanding it.

Both stood for toleration and for the minimizing of the differences between the sects.

minimize

minimise

Word Origin and History for minimizing

minimize

v.

Origin of minimize