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decrease

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb decrease differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of decrease are abate, diminish, dwindle, lessen, and reduce. While all these words mean "to grow or make less," decrease suggests a progressive decline in size, amount, numbers, or intensity.

slowly decreased the amount of pressure

When would abate be a good substitute for decrease?

The meanings of abate and decrease largely overlap; however, abate implies a reducing of something excessive or oppressive in force or amount.

the storm abated

When could diminish be used to replace decrease?

While the synonyms diminish and decrease are close in meaning, diminish emphasizes a perceptible loss and implies its subtraction from a total.

his visual acuity has diminished

When can dwindle be used instead of decrease?

Although the words dwindle and decrease have much in common, dwindle implies progressive lessening and is applied to things growing visibly smaller.

their provisions dwindled slowly

When is it sensible to use lessen instead of decrease?

The words lessen and decrease can be used in similar contexts, but lessen suggests a decline in amount rather than in number.

has been unable to lessen her debt

When might reduce be a better fit than decrease?

While in some cases nearly identical to decrease, reduce implies a bringing down or lowering.

you must reduce your caloric intake

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of decrease
Verb
Heavily affected would also be the trade in computers and electronics between the two countries, potentially decreasing by more than 80% in each direction. Katharina Buchholz, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025 Increasing overhead costs for medical practices are contributing to the decreasing number of physicians working independently of a hospital or other health care system. Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech, The Hill, 7 Mar. 2025
Noun
One of the surprising findings is that the decrease in depressive symptoms was on par — or even greater than — reductions documented in studies of people taking antidepressant medications. Allison Aubrey, NPR, 24 Feb. 2025 This is a decrease from 2024, when women were 32% of non-acting Oscar nominees, compared to 64% men. Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 23 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for decrease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decrease
Verb
  • The venue renovations have significantly increased hospitality and premium offerings with new pubs, clubs, restaurants and seating, while reducing the number of suites from 70 to 40.
    Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Stay safe on wintry roads with these valuable winter driving tips from the NWS, and reduce the risk of accidents during challenging weather conditions.
    Southern California Weather Report, Orange County Register, 4 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The absence of Ayo Dosunmu — who is dealing with shoulder discomfort from a long-term injury — further diminished the Bulls roster.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2025
  • Suitable for all skin types, the face oil hydrates while improving elasticity and diminishing the appearance of fine lines.
    Celia Shatzman, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Lift restrictions on shooting outside and in public spaces in L.A. (emulating NYC’s successful program) and offer a temporary reduction in permit fees in conjunction with loosening up notification requirements to reduce FilmLA’s staffing costs.
    Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 1 Mar. 2025
  • The administration is planning a much broader reduction of its workforce.
    Stephen Fowler, NPR, 1 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Crime has since subsided, though its memory hasn’t.
    Aatish Bhatia, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2025
  • The uproar surrounding the election has not subsided since that time, despite Ganim later winning two court-ordered re-do elections in 2024.
    Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The Associated Press pointed to the possibility of tariffs and a decline in consumer spending as the reasons for the earlier drop.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2025
  • It’s commonly accepted HR doctrine that after a large layoff, those who stay suffer a 20% decline in their job performance.
    Phil Blair, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Public transit services continued during the pandemic, but ridership on the railroads fell sharply, DOT data show.
    John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2025
  • Vaccination Rates As reported by the CDC, the measles vaccination rate among children in kindergarten nationally has fallen since 2019, from approximately 95 percent of children receiving a two-dose MMR coverage to 92.7 percent.
    David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The drop had less to do with Kinder’s Q4 report (which was a lot more good than bad) and more to do with the fact that KMI shares had roughly doubled for the year heading into it.
    Brett Owens, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
  • The collaboration features multiple chapters, with the superstar unveiling more items with each drop.
    Caché McClay, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • If there is a way for Germany to quickly ease its debt constraints that would be a positive.
    Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
  • The nation is not prepared to vaccinate birds, but will increase research into immunization and ease regulations to reduce costs, the agency said.
    Kate Gibson, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Decrease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decrease. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

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