as in cut
to cause to diminish gradually by or as if by cutting off bits with a knife
He was sitting on the porch, whittling a stick.
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Recent Examples of whittled
After that, the competition is whittled from 10 teams to the top five, with those five also performing their free dance later in the day.
—
Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Improvements in material and device design have whittled these energy costs over the years.
—Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Hers is a family of working artists, the kind that have been slowly whittled out of the industry, and her background is more akin to Sophie’s than Benedict’s.
—Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 19 Jan. 2026
By Thursday afternoon, Democrats had whittled their list of amendments down to 15, according to a Senate source familiar with the state of play.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 18 Dec. 2025
More rules are set to be whittled further, such as the waste framework directive, which could see the repeal of the only database that contains information on chemicals of concern used in Europe.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 12 Dec. 2025
Ukrainian officials met with White House envoy Steve Witkoff and whittled the plan down.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 10 Dec. 2025
The Horned Frogs saw a double-digit-point lead whittled to just four by intermission, thanks to the 3-point shooting of John Blackwell — who scored 30 points on Friday — and savvy playmaking by former San Diego State guard Nick Boyd.
—Kyle Kensing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Nov. 2025
My leg muscles wasted and my arms seemed whittled into bone.
—Tatiana Schlossberg, New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2025
Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Improvements in material and device design have whittled these energy costs over the years.
—Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Hers is a family of working artists, the kind that have been slowly whittled out of the industry, and her background is more akin to Sophie’s than Benedict’s.
—Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 19 Jan. 2026
By Thursday afternoon, Democrats had whittled their list of amendments down to 15, according to a Senate source familiar with the state of play.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 18 Dec. 2025
More rules are set to be whittled further, such as the waste framework directive, which could see the repeal of the only database that contains information on chemicals of concern used in Europe.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 12 Dec. 2025
Ukrainian officials met with White House envoy Steve Witkoff and whittled the plan down.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 10 Dec. 2025
The Horned Frogs saw a double-digit-point lead whittled to just four by intermission, thanks to the 3-point shooting of John Blackwell — who scored 30 points on Friday — and savvy playmaking by former San Diego State guard Nick Boyd.
—Kyle Kensing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Nov. 2025
My leg muscles wasted and my arms seemed whittled into bone.
—Tatiana Schlossberg, New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittled
Verb
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In the men's singles final in figure skating, the NBC telecast just cut to a shot of American Max Naumov, who was juggling a soccer ball.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
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Catherine’s brother Hindley, a vicious bully whose abuse is part of what drives Cathy and Heathcliff so closely together, is cut entirely, his role combined with Catherine’s father.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The impassioned celebration was quickly clipped and shared across social media, with thousands enjoying what initially looked like a release of unbridled, unrehearsed joy.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Searching for every inch, every millisecond of an advantage, her right arm clipped the fourth gate.—
Will Graves,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In addition, strong winds over desert areas could result in briefly lowered visibilities to well under a mile at times in blowing dust or blowing sand.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The income tax rate can be lowered by continuing to grow our state and local economies by attracting new business with high-paying jobs by supporting fiscally conservative policies and keeping state income taxes low.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Outlet center visits fell nearly 13% from a year earlier, and apparel retail traffic dropped more than 8%, the firm estimates.—
Allie Canal,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
-
What if, rather than building homes on-site from the ground up, they were cranked out of factories, one unit after another, shipped to where they were needed and dropped into place?—
Ben Christopher,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And every time stocks have rallied, an equally relentless wave of skeptics has pared those gains.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
9 Feb. 2026
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Passengers may notice seasickness bags placed around the ship, just in case, and some programming, such as lectures, could be pared back if the waves get especially choppy.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whittled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittled. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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