as in diluting
to alter (something) for the worse with the addition of foreign or lower-grade substances
watered down the cocktails while jacking up their prices
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Recent Examples of watering down
Stop watering down your message to avoid offending anyone.
—
Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for watering down
Verb
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Medrano’s editorial eye—born from her archive of Players magazines—lingers on sensuality’s softness without diluting its danger.—
Skylar Mitchell,
Essence,
16 Sep. 2025
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Some of the erosion of credibility, young American Jews across the country tell me, stems from those who insist all criticism of Israel is antisemitic, diluting the term's power.—
Andrew Weinstein,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Check for any stains and treat them accordingly before loading the sheets into the washing machine.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
16 Sep. 2025
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In digital services, apply the same scrutiny to login friction, loading messages, or chatbot delays.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Corner-cutting climbers could be in real danger.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
20 Sep. 2025
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The program generates revenue for states to fund clean energy development and energy efficiency initiatives while cutting carbon pollution roughly in half, a rate of emissions reductions far faster than the national average.—
Jeff Young,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In the last decade, more than 80 cases have been filed around the world that seek to force polluting companies to pay the cost of climate damages, according to a report from Grantham Institute at the London School of Economics.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
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What To Know The annual $1 billion allocation comes from California's cap-and-invest program, which collects fees from polluting industries.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Ultimate Detangler Extra Gentle takes it one step further, creating a paddle brush that’s delicate enough for thinning and damaged strands.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
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In addition, mid-level positions are vulnerable as organizations flatten, thinning middle management ranks.—
Ulrik Juul Christensen,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That’s the best way to keep the flies from infecting the fruits.—
Nan Sterman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
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These facilities agreed to and completed full cleaning and disinfection procedures to prevent the bacteria from growing and infecting others.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That same day, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole for fatally poisoning Angela.—
Doc Louallen,
ABC News,
19 Sep. 2025
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Adam Kron, a senior attorney at the environmental advocacy group Earthjustice, said any company ignoring or avoiding regulations entirely reminds him of the fracking boom in the early 2010s, when companies moved quickly to drill, poisoning some local communities’ groundwater in the process.—
Taylor Kate Brown,
ProPublica,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Watering down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watering%20down. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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