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.
Activating the receptor in the brainstem reduced appetite, while blocking the same receptor in the hypothalamus produced a similar weight loss effect through a different mechanism.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
The waiver has let California obtain more fuel from Gulf of Mexico refineries, which has reduced the spread between the state’s gasoline prices and the national average by about 25 cents a gallon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
This reduces the potential for tactical bad challenges to get a team reduced to 10 men.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
The region’s Bay Area Rapid Transit commuter rail system reduced train speeds after the quake to complete safety inspections, and told riders to expect delays of about 20 minutes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Ms. Morales had insisted she leave her notebooks in the car, so Emma had been reduced to writing potential code keys on napkins and awards tickets, and stuffing them in her pocket.
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
