diminish

Diminish is a verb meaning to cause something to become smaller or less in size, amount, intensity, or importance, or to decrease in these respects on its own. It can be transitive, as in diminish the volume, or intransitive, as in the profits diminished over the year. The term applies to both physical changes, such as shrinking dimensions or brightness, and abstract changes, such as diminishing influence, risk, or support.

Etymology and related forms: Diminish comes from Old French diminir, from Latin diminuere, meaning to lessen. Related forms include diminution (the act or result of diminishing), diminished (the past participle or adjective), and diminishing (the present participle or gerund).

Usage and nuance: Diminish often conveys a gradual or incremental decrease and is common in formal or technical writing. It is frequently paired with prepositions such as in (diminish in value or size) or by (diminish by half). It can describe processes (emissions diminished), outcomes (losses diminished), or perceptions (the significance diminished).

Examples: The battery life diminished as the screen remained on. Regulations were put in place to diminish air pollution. The company’s profits diminished during the recession.

See also: diminution, diminutive, diminish (contrast with words like reduce, lessen, decrease, shrink).