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

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

European Union environment ministers agreed to a watered-down version of the bloc’s 2040 climate goals on Wednesday, bringing the EU one step closer to setting new—if weaker—targets for lowering carbon emissions.

From The Wall Street Journal

Most of them are “watered-down versions” of Musk’s own “broken promises,” in the words of Tech Crunch, one of the few tech news sites to have carefully analyzed the pay package.

From Los Angeles Times

The watered-down Minimalism that wormed its way into radio and TV commercials won’t go away.

From Los Angeles Times