Attenuation

noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A gradual diminishing of strength. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    the property of something that has been weakened or reduced in thickness or density wordnet
  3. 3
    A reduction in the level of some property with distance, especially the amplitude of a wave or the strength of a signal. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    weakening in force or intensity wordnet
  5. 5
    A weakening in the virulence of a pathogen or other microorganism. countable, uncountable
Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    The tapering of a leaf etc to a fine point. countable, uncountable
  2. 7
    A fabrication process in which a material is stretched out into a thin shape. countable, uncountable
  3. 8
    The reduction of the active principles of medicines to minute doses. countable, uncountable
  4. 9
    The proportion of sugar that is converted to ethanol by a yeast. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
abatementabridgmentairinessalleviationatrophyattrition

Example

More examples

"So, if a La Nina occurs we might see just a little bit of attenuation of what we have been seeing, which is record temperatures year after year after year globally."

Etymology

From Middle English attenuacioun, a borrowing from Latin attenuātiō (“a diminishing”). Equivalent to attenuate + -ion.

Related phrases

space attenuation

More for "attenuation"

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.