diminish
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make or cause to seem smaller, less, less important, etc.; lessen; reduce.
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Architecture. to give (a column) a form tapering inward from bottom to top.
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Music. to make (an interval) smaller by a chromatic half step than the corresponding perfect or minor interval.
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to detract from the authority, honor, stature, or reputation of; disparage.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to make or become smaller, fewer, or less
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(tr) architect to cause (a column, etc) to taper
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(tr) music to decrease (a minor or perfect interval) by a semitone
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to belittle or be belittled; reduce in authority, status, etc; depreciate
Usage
What does diminish mean? To diminish is to become smaller, fewer, or less, as in If we don’t order more, our stock of supplies will slowly diminish until we run out completely. It can also mean to make smaller, fewer, or less, as in We need to diminish our reliance on fossil fuels. Close synonyms of these senses of diminish are reduce, decrease, and lessen. Diminish can also be used in less literal ways. It can mean to make something seem smaller or less significant, as in The senator tried to diminish his role in the scandal. The verb downplay is used in a similar way. To diminish a person is to reduce or take away from their stature, reputation, or authority in some way—to belittle or disparage them, as in The new tell-all book is clearly an attempt to diminish a man who is regarded as a legend in his field. Example: My interest in sports has diminished since I was a kid—I’m only a casual fan now.
Synonym Usage
See decrease.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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diminishmentnoun
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prediminishmentnoun
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undiminishablenessnoun
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prediminishverb (used with object)
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diminishableadjective
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nondiminishingadjective
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undiminishableadjective
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undiminishedadjective
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undiminishingadjective
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diminishinglyadverb
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undiminishablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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diminishsimple
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diminishessimple
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have diminishedperfect
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has diminishedperfect
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am diminishingprogressive
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are diminishingprogressive
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is diminishingprogressive
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have been diminishingperfect progressive
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has been diminishingperfect progressive
Past
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diminishedsimple
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had diminishedperfect
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was diminishingprogressive
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were diminishingprogressive
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had been diminishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of diminish
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; blend of diminuen (from Anglo-French diminuer, from Medieval Latin dīminuere, from Latin dēminuere “to make smaller”) and minishen minish
Explanation
Diminish means to make smaller or lesser. If you cover a lightbulb with a dark lamp shade, the light from the lamp will diminish. It can also mean become less important. Once the light has been dimmed, its role in lighting the room is diminished. If you look at diminish, you see 'minis' which comes from the Latin word minus, as in subtraction. Other words that share this root are miniature and minuscule, all of which mean something that is small, or at least smallish.
Vocabulary lists containing diminish
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 2
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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.
See Examples For:
“His recently failing health did little to diminish his fierce intellect and sharp sense of humour. He will leave an unfillable hole in the lives of all who knew him, or his music.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Pipelines built to avoid the strait can help but won’t measurably diminish the Persian Gulf’s centrality to global commerce.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
But even in that case, Burke thinks free cash flow would shift among vendors but not diminish.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
Chances of finding life in the rubble are highest in the first 72 hours, and diminish as each hour passes, with conditions such as temperature also playing a critical role.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
If the pain didn’t diminish then, the familiar yet strange sights hypnotized me into believing that it had.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
But when summits become a venue for essentially undermining allied assurance and adversary deterrence, their utility diminishes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
It also calls for zero tolerance of bullying or misogyny from No 10 staff and parliamentarians, as well as unprofessional behaviour that diminishes the contributions of women.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Which rather diminishes the headline, the lede, and the whole rationale for putting the story on the front page.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
“Nothing about the court’s finding regarding competency diminishes the seriousness of the loss or the pain experienced by those who knew and loved Mr. Handy.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
One other prejudice people have about mathematics is that its study somehow diminishes one’s feeling for nature and the “big” questions.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
The diminished value of the cover letter also reflects the doubt that’s crept into the job-search process.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Nolan has anchored his “Odyssey” at the fall of the Bronze Age, a once-great era toppled by wealth-hoarding, diminished trade and climate catastrophes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
And it’s workers who suffer from diminished savings if the plan has poor options.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
But Belgium, diminished as it was, still represented another step up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Gradually the suspicion that Catholics had X-ray eyes diminished, and I grew easy.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
Aiyar believes the movement has tapped into broader anxieties over a slowing economy, scarce jobs and a deepening sense that the future offers diminishing opportunities.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Rather than diminishing the overall audience, the various packages and options have expanded the games’ popularity, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
But more than that, it obscures the reality and erases the history of transgender lives by diminishing the significant time, money, and effort many transgender people spend to align their body with their sex.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
All these are adorable accessories to the character’s brave insistence on betting on herself in a world of naysayers set on diminishing her brightness.
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026
It was a circular slab of stone, held upright in a vise and pierced with a ring of holes of diminishing sizes.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
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.
