diminish
Part of speech: verb
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: Formed under the influence of both diminue (from Old French diminuer, from Latin dīminuo) and minish.
Inflected forms:
form: diminishes
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: diminishing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: diminished
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: diminished
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: To make smaller.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: The threat of terrorism to the British lies in the overreaction to it of British governments. Each one in turn clicks up the ratchet of surveillance, intrusion and security. Each one diminishes liberty.
gloss: To become less or smaller.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine.[…]One thing that is true, though, is that murder rates have fallen over the centuries, as policing has spread and the routine carrying of weapons has diminished. Modern society may not have done anything about war. But peace is a lot more peaceful.
In the latter years of its existence, BR was rationalising its estate by pulling down station buildings which were too large for its modern operational needs, or by shutting off parts of them when demolition was not an option. Kilmarnock station falls into this latter category. It dominates the townscape, but its operational importance has seriously diminished since electrification of the West Coast Main Line.
gloss: To make appear smaller than in reality; to dismiss as unimportant.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Although British involvement in the slave trade prior to 1807 cannot be denied, or its effects diminished, it is also a fact that the Royal Navy was pretty much the only force in the world in the 19th century with the numbers, drive, willingness, firepower, and capability to curtail the global slave trade, and that, without these efforts, many more would no doubt have been taken to slave plantations and other such destinations during the 19th, and possibly even into the 20th, centuries, as it must be remembered that a great many European powers would only begrudgingly commit to ending the slave trade when the other option was continuous war with the British Empire.
gloss: To lessen the authority or dignity of; to put down; to degrade; to abase; to weaken; to nerf (in gaming).
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations.
1639, Ralph Robinson (translator), Utopia by Thomas More, London, Book 2, “Of their journying or travelling abroad,” p. 197,
[…] this doth nothing diminish their opinion.
O thou, that, with surpassing glory crowned,
Lookest from thy sole dominion like the God
Of this new world; at whose sight all the stars
Hide their diminished heads; to thee I call,
In Seth’s presence Mr Biswas felt diminished. Everything about Seth was overpowering: his calm manner, his smooth grey hair, his ivory holder, his hard swollen forearms […]
gloss: To taper.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: The chair and table legs diminished as they neared the ground, and were straight and square in all their corners.
gloss: To disappear gradually.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: ‘Good evening, good evening,’ Father Rank called. His stride lengthened and he caught a foot in his soutane and stumbled as he went by. ‘A storm’s coming up,’ he said. ‘Got to hurry,’ and his ‘ho, ho, ho’ diminished mournfully along the railway track, bringing no comfort to anyone.
gloss: To take away; to subtract.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.
Synonyms: decline
ebb
ooze
abase
abate
belittle
besmall
bring down
embase
cut
decrease
decrement
diminish
foreshorten
lessen
lilliputianize
lower
mince
minimize
reduce
shrink
smallify
Antonyms: improve
repair
renovate
wax
augment
Related words: diminution
Derived words: diminishable
diminisher
diminishment
law of diminishing returns
rediminish
Translations: