Nearby Words
| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | become or cause to be less |
| Synonyms: | abate, abbreviate, attenuate, become smaller, close, contract, curtail, cut, decline, decrease, depreciate, die out, drain, dwindle, ebb, extenuate, fade away, lessen, lower, minify, moderate, peter out, recede, reduce, retrench, shrink, shrivel, slacken, subside, taper, temper, wane, weaken |
| Antonyms: | develop, enlarge, expand, extend, grow, increase, lengthen, prolong |
| Main Entry: | abase |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | deprive of self-esteem, confidence |
| Synonyms: | belittle, debase, degrade, demean, diminish, disgrace, dishonor, humble, humiliate, lower, mortify, reduce, shame |
| Antonyms: | cherish, dignify, exalt, extol, honor, respect |
| Main Entry: | abate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | lessen, grow or cause to grow less |
| Synonyms: | allay, chill out, coast*, cool, cool it, decline, decrease, diminish, dull, dwindle, ebb, go with the flow, hang easy, hang loose, lay back, let go, let it all hang out, let up, mellow out, moderate, quell, recede, reduce, slacken, slow, subdue, subside, take it easy, taper, taper off, unlax, wane |
| Antonyms: | amplify, enhance, enlarge, extend, increase, intensify, magnify, prolong, revive, rise |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | abridge |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | shorten |
| Synonyms: | abbreviate, abstract, blue pencil, chop, clip, compress, concentrate, condense, contract, curtail, cut, decrease, digest, diminish, downsize, lessen, limit, narrow, put in nutshell, reduce, restrict, slash, snip, summarize, trim, truncate |
| Antonyms: | add, enlarge, expand, extend, increase, lengthen |
| Main Entry: | alloy |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | adulterate |
| Synonyms: | debase, denature, devalue, diminish, impair, reduce |
| Antonyms: | clean, clear, purify |
| Main Entry: | appease |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | satisfy, pacify |
| Synonyms: | allay, alleviate, assuage, be enough, blunt, calm, compose, conciliate, content, diminish, do*, ease, gratify, lessen, lull, make matters up, meet halfway, mitigate, mollify, patch things up, placate, propitiate, quell, quench, quiet, serve, soften, soothe, subdue, sweeten, tranquilize |
| Antonyms: | aggravate, annoy, incite, irritate, provoke, tease |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | belittle |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | detract |
| Synonyms: | bad-mouth, blister, criticize, cut down to size, cut to the quick, decry, deprecate, depreciate, deride, derogate, diminish, discount, discredit, disparage, dispraise, downgrade, downplay, dump on, knock*, lower, minimize, pan, pooh pooh, poor mouth, put down, rip*, roast, run down, scoff at, scorch*, scorn, shoot down, shoot full of holes, slam*, smear, sneer at, sour grapes, squash, squelch, take a swipe at, take down, take down a peg, tear down, underestimate, underrate, undervalue, write off |
| Antonyms: | build up, exaggerate, praise, value |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | break |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | cushion something's effect |
| Synonyms: | diminish, lessen, lighten, moderate, reduce, soften, weaken |
| Notes: | to brake is to slow or stop while break is to cause to separate into pieces suddenly or violently, smash or crack |
| Main Entry: | change |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make or become different |
| Synonyms: | accommodate, adapt, adjust, alter, alternate, commute, convert, diminish, diverge, diversify, evolve, fluctuate, make innovations, make over, merge, metamorphose, moderate, modify, modulate, mutate, naturalize, recondition, redo, reduce, reform, regenerate, remake, remodel, renovate, reorganize, replace, resolve, restyle, revolutionize, shape, shift, substitute, tamper with, temper, transfigure, transform, translate, transmute, transpose, turn, vacillate, vary, veer, warp |
| Antonyms: | continue, hold, keep, persist, remain, stay |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
