diminishing


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Related to diminishing: diminishing returns

di·min·ish

 (dĭ-mĭn′ĭsh)
v. di·min·ished, di·min·ish·ing, di·min·ish·es
v.tr.
1.
a. To make smaller or less; reduce or lessen. See Synonyms at decrease.
b. To detract from the authority, reputation, or prestige of: "Her upper-class perfection ... somehow diminished me" (Shirley Abbott).
2. To cause to taper.
3. Music To reduce (a perfect or minor interval) by a semitone.
v.intr.
1. To become smaller or less.
2. To taper.

[Middle English diminishen, blend of diminuen, to lessen (from Old French diminuer, from Latin dīminuere, variant of dēminuere : dē-, de- + minuere, to lessen) and minishen, to reduce (from Old French minuiser, from Vulgar Latin *minūtiāre, from Latin minūtia, smallness, from minūtus, small, from past participle of minuere); see mei- in Indo-European roots.]

di·min′ish·a·ble adj.
di·min′ish·ment n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

diminishing

(dɪˈmɪnɪʃɪŋ)
adj
becoming smaller, fewer, or less
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.diminishing - becoming smaller or less or appearing to do so; "diminishing returns"; "his diminishing respect for her"
decreasing - becoming less or smaller
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations

diminishing

[dɪˈmɪnɪʃɪŋ] ADJ [number] → decreciente, cada vez menor; [value, resources, funds] → cada vez menor, cada vez más reducido; [strength] → cada vez menor
the law of diminishing returnsla ley de rendimiento decreciente
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
References in classic literature ?
And yet here you are, at the top of your life, where diminishing and dying begin, living an obscure and sordid existence, hunting sea animals for the satisfaction of woman's vanity and love of decoration, revelling in a piggishness, to use your own words, which is anything and everything except splendid.
With them and with most other European nations we are rivals in navigation and the carrying trade; and we shall deceive ourselves if we suppose that any of them will rejoice to see it flourish; for, as our carrying trade cannot increase without in some degree diminishing theirs, it is more their interest, and will be more their policy, to restrain than to promote it.
The head of the family sat in the foreground, and beyond him extended a sharply receding and diminishing row of sons; facing him sat his wife, and beyond her extended a low row of diminishing daughters.
The sound of musketry at the foot of the hill, now diminishing, now increasing, seemed like someone's breathing.
At each change in the evolutions of the latter, the former raised his tall person in the stirrups; producing, in this manner, by the undue elongation of his legs, such sudden growths and diminishings of the stature, as baffled every conjecture that might be made as to his dimensions.
Loss of hearing or diminishing vision are widely associated with aging.
Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (Pvao) administrator and Defense undersecretary Ernesto Carolina said war vets, severely diminishing in number, have long been waiting for the passage of a pension hike bill for senior veterans.
The outlook for Switzerland's (a stable) banking system has been changed to negative from stable, principally because the likelihood of support for senior creditors from the Swiss government in the event of need is diminishing, says Moody Investors Service in a new report published today.
Wales has led the way in diminishing the impact of tobacco smoking upon a human being: It could lead the way in diminishing the impact of speeding vehicles upon the human being.
The ADP National Employment Report released today noted that September's employment decline was the smallest since July of 2009, with employment losses diminishing significantly over the last two quarters.
Global Banking News-9 September 2009-Need for credit-easing measures diminishing in Japan(C)2009 ENPublishing - http://www.enpublishing.co.uk