Diminish
To become smaller in size, amount, importance, or intensity; to reduce.
verbDiminish
To become smaller in size, amount, importance, or intensity; to reduce.
verbImagine This
Imagine a bright lamp in a dark room. As a gust of wind blows, the lamp's glow steadily fades until only a faint glimmer remains.
Sounds Like
dih-MIN-ish
Looks Like
similar in spelling to 'diminutive' and 'diminution'; shares the same root meaning of smallness
Remember This
The root 'min' relates to small. Diminish is often used for both physical size and figurative importance or impact.
Other Forms
Connect With
decrease, lessen, reduce, shrink, wane, attenuate
Note
Diminish can be transitive (diminish something) or intransitive (diminish, without an object). Do not confuse with 'dim' (low light) when used as a verb meaning 'to make less bright'—though related, 'diminish' has a broader sense of reduction.