flatten

James C. Scott called this legibility, the way institutions flatten complicated people into categories they can manage.

From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026

The researchers found that rift flanks begin to flatten relatively quickly once tectonic movement ends.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026

Although long-term agreements from memory companies and a redesign of AI chips to address memory constraints “could flatten the amplitude of the cycle,” Moore said those factors should increase the duration of the memory boom.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

River can be a good thing, social media algorithms can flatten the context around the waterway, particularly when it comes to demographic changes in nearby neighborhoods.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

The sim was well to the west by the time the slope began to flatten beneath the hooves of their horses.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

A hot-strip mill flattens thick slabs of heated steel into long, thin ribbons of sheet steel that are wound into coils and shipped to customers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

Like VIX, it is not as bullish as it could be: The term structure of the VIX futures rises in the front end of the curve but then flattens out.

From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026

But funding a nongambler’s entrance into the gambling world as a kind of comedic protagonist not only puts the writer at risk but also flattens the seriousness of the story’s subject.

From Slate ● May 5, 2026

Sometimes it flattens the experience into palatable passive consumption.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2026

Peeta unties the cord and flattens out the circle of silk.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

Water vole volunteers 'get very excited by flattened poo'

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

We live saturated in opinion, reaction and digital noise, a culture that turns other people into content: flattened, accelerated, easy to dismiss.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

Still, the director’s contributions for the most part supported the underlying emotional drama, which, in lesser musical and theatrical hands, can be flattened into an evening of empty display.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

In “Neon Demon,” he shot Elle Fanning like a million bucks, but gave her the personality of a flattened penny.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Papi had left a few boards down the center of the room and around his and Mami’s bed, to stand on until the ground was swept and flattened.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

Markets’ recent pricing of rate hikes is excessive and the recent flattening trend is likely largely over, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

However, the yield curve began rolling over in April 2025 and has been flattening again since year-end.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

At this stage, the flattening appears to reflect a market that believes policy is not restrictive enough to bring inflation back to target, rather than a market focused primarily on slowing growth.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026

Critics of the change say this risks flattening meaningful distinctions between religious identities, particularly for service members whose beliefs do not fall neatly into major denominational groupings.

From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026

I grab my bag and rush to the door’s entrance, flattening my back against the wall.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera