Abgeschwächten

Abgeschwächten is a German attributive adjective form derived from the verb abschwächen, meaning to weaken or diminish. It describes something that has been weakened, mitigated, or made less intense compared with a prior state or expectation. The form Abschwächten is the declined past participle abgeschwächt used as an adjective, typically appearing before a plural noun with a definite article: die abgeschwächten Maßnahmen. In predicative use after sein, the form is usually abgeschwächt: Die Maßnahmen sind abgeschwächt.

The term is common in political, legal, regulatory, and technical contexts. It signals a reduction in scope, intensity, or duration of measures, restrictions, or conditions. For example, abgeschwächten Sicherheitsvorkehrungen indicates safety measures that have been eased, whereas abgeschwächten Strahlungswerte refers to lower measured radiation levels. The nuance is generally neutral, though in public discourse it can be used to describe policy changes perceived as less stringent than previously proposed or expected.

Etymologically, abgeschwächen derives from the prefix ab- plus schwächen (to weaken), with the participial form abgeschwächt becoming an adjective. Related terms include mildern, abschwächen, and absenken, which convey similar notions of reduction or mitigation in various contexts.