diminishing returns
plural noun
1
: a rate of yield that beyond a certain point fails to increase in proportion to additional investments of labor or capital
2
: benefits that beyond a certain point fail to increase in proportion to extended efforts
Examples of diminishing returns in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The result is wasted energy, excess heat, and diminishing returns on efficiency improvements that once accompanied each generation of smaller transistors.
—
Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 31 Jan. 2026
That's $75 million for a film believed to recoup at the very most $5 million in its grand debut — and diminishing returns after an increasingly sluggish January box office are sure to follow.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
Yet for many enterprises, this growing investment delivers diminishing returns.
—CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
Researchers found that increasing the finger count from three to five improved the hand’s crawling efficiency, but adding more beyond that resulted in diminishing returns.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for diminishing returns
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Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 31 Jan. 2026
That's $75 million for a film believed to recoup at the very most $5 million in its grand debut — and diminishing returns after an increasingly sluggish January box office are sure to follow.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
Yet for many enterprises, this growing investment delivers diminishing returns.
—CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
Researchers found that increasing the finger count from three to five improved the hand’s crawling efficiency, but adding more beyond that resulted in diminishing returns.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for diminishing returns
Cite this Entry
“Diminishing returns.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diminishing%20returns. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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