diminishing

/dɪˈmɪn.ɪʃ/ (bre, ipa) · [dɪmˈɪnɪʃɪŋ] /dɪˈmɪn.ɪʃ/ (ame, ipa) · [dɪmˈɪnɪʃɪŋ] /də-ˈmi-nish/ (ame, mw)

diminishing — verb

  • diminishingpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • diminishings3rd person singular
  • diminishinging-ing form
  • diminishingedpast simple

1. if something diminishes, its amount, value, strength, or importance gets steadil

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

if something diminishes, its amount, value, strength, or importance gets steadily smaller; you can also diminish something by making it less noticeable or effective.

例句

The noise from the construction site gradually diminished after six in the evening.

temporal collocation: gradually + after + time phrase

Felix noticed his fear of public speaking diminish after each successful presentation.

同義詞
  • decrease

    more general; works for numbers and amounts; less poetic than 'diminish'

  • dwindle

    stronger sense of something shrinking until almost nothing is left; often used with supplies or hope

  • wane

    specifically about strength, influence, or popularity fading; often used with 'moon' or 'interest'

  • shrink

    more physical; about size getting smaller; less formal than 'diminish'

反義詞
  • increase

    direct opposite — to become larger in amount, size, or importance

  • grow

    to become bigger or develop; opposite of gradual diminishing

  • magnify

    to make something appear larger, more important, or more severe

文法句型

diminish + gradually/over time

diminish in + noun

diminishing + noun (as adjective)

用法筆記

Often used in continuous tenses (is diminishing, are diminishing) to describe an ongoing process. In formal writing, 'diminish' is preferred over 'get smaller' or 'go down.' The fixed noun phrase 'diminishing returns' is a standard term in economics.

常見錯誤

❌The pain diminished quickly after one hour.' (suggests a sudden drop — use 'eased' or 'faded')
✅The pain gradually diminished over the next few hours.
💡'diminish' implies a steady, gradual process, not an instant change.
❌He diminished the volume on the radio.' (too literal — use 'turned down' or 'lowered')
✅The long walk diminished his energy for the rest of the day.
💡'diminish' works best for abstract qualities (confidence, importance, value) or naturally changing quantities, not manual adjustments.