waned
Americanadjective
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having decreased in strength, intensity, etc..
Shale gas drilling caused earthquakes in the United Kingdom, leading to waned interest in shale gas and a slowdown of geological work.
-
having declined in power, importance, prosperity, etc..
This film director hasn't done too well of late, either commercially or critically, but nobody should gloat over his waned status.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of waned
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.
As a result of this, the crowd waned throughout their performance, with the duo reduced to desperate pleas: “What happened to the hand claps?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Enthusiasm for growing the library has waxed and waned over the years.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Federal downsizing has waned since Elon Musk left his post last year as head of the Department of Government Efficiency.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
U.S. lettuce production has waxed and waned over the past decade but remains massive, at around 10 billion pounds annually.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
As October waned, the tension all over the backstretch heightened.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
