watered-down

American  

[waw-terd-doun, wot-erd-] / ˈwɔ tərdˈdaʊn, ˈwɒt ərd- /

adjective

1. made weaker or less effective from or as from dilution with water.

   a watered-down cocktail; Spectators saw a watered-down version of the famous opera.

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Etymology

Origin of watered-down

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

She was a 38-year-old mother of five, craving caffeine and tired of watered-down fountain soda when she decided to turn her cravings into a business in 2010.

From The Wall Street Journal

The comments came before a meeting of EU environment ministers in Cyprus this week to review last November's UN climate summit, which ended with a watered-down pact that omitted EU demands over fossil fuels.

From Barron's

“They need to strike a balance of showing there is appropriate data and research to validate the proposed rule, but at the same time not issue a watered-down ruling that creates legal uncertainty for plan sponsors.”

From The Wall Street Journal

There’s a bit of “Jaws” in “Beast of War,” which is also evocative of Hitchcock’s “Lifeboat” while being something of a watered-down version of both.

From The Wall Street Journal

Critics of the watered-down regulations, such as Anja Brandon, the director of plastics policy for the Ocean Conservancy, said she wasn’t surprised by the withdrawal.

From Los Angeles Times