Decrease

/dɪˈkɹiːs/

Synonyms for "decrease" (478 found)

Ranked by relevance and common usage.

Closest matches (96)

Verb(12 words)

diminish fall lessen abated abates abating attenuate cheapen cutdampen vibrationdecimate declined

Noun(15 words)

diminution reduction atrophy attenuationchange in potential energychop clipping contractingcultural declinescut cutback decimation declinedecline in activitydecline of civilization

abate abatement abbreviate abbreviation ablate ablation abrade abridge abridgment abstract allay alleviate alleviation apportion astriction astringency attrition batebe eaten awaybottleneck

Show 47 more words

Adjective(2 words)

attenuatedcivic declines

Strong matches (143)

Noun(44 words)

declinesdeclining demanddecreasing decrement decrementing decrements deductdeep cutdents descending dial diminishdiminished potential energydiminishing diminishment diminutions dips down downscale downsizing

Show 24 more words

downward movementdrastically reduceddroop dropdrop in pricesdrop-off dropping drops ebbsenergy lossfadefade outfall engagement dipfall of civilizationsfalling falloff falloffs falls flagfrench diminuergradual declinegreatly reducedhalves halving

Verb(24 words)

declining decrement decremented depreciated depreciates derate derogated derogating descend descendsdiminish costsdiminish effectivenessdiminish impactdiminish importancediminishes dipped downsized drooped dropped dwindled

Show 4 more words

dwindles ebbedgo downhalve

Adjective(6 words)

decreased trustdiminisheddownward trenddwindling budgetdwindling resourcesgentle decline

decrement deduct deduction deflate deflation deliquesce deplete depletion depreciate depreciation depress depression derogate derogation detractdetract fromdetractiondie awaydifferentiate dilute

Show 49 more words

diminish diminuendo diminution dip disparage disparagement dissipate dissipation dive divide downgrade drain drawdraw indraw togetherdribble awaydropdrop offdwindle dwindling dying easeease offease upeat awayebb erode erosion evaporation exhaustion expenditure extract extractionfade outfail fallfall awayfall offfalling offfile awayfix flag go gradational grade gradual graduate graduated hierarchic

Related words (239)

hourglasshourglass figureimpair impairment impoverishment increase isthmus knit knitting languish leach leakage lessen lesseninglet upletup lighten lour lower lowering

Show 119 more words

mark measure meltmelt awayminiaturization minimize mitigate mitigation moderate modify mollify movement narrownarrow placenarrowing neck number pale parcel parepeter outplummet plunge progressive puckerpucker uppuckering purify purse pursing quantify quantize quiet rate rebate recede reduce reduction refine regular relax relaxation relieve remission remit remove retraction retrench retrenchmentroll backrub awayrun lowsag sagging scalar scalescale downshade offshave shorten shortening shrink shrinkage shrinkingshrivel upsimplicity simplify sink slack slacken slackening slash slideslow downsolidification solidify squander stepstep downstrangle stranglement strangulate strangulation striction stricture subduct subside subsidence subtract subtraction systoletail offtake awaytake fromtapertaper offthinthin outtrail trim truncationtune downusingusing upwanewasp waistwastage wastewaste awayweakening wearwear awaywearingwearing awayweed withdraw wizen wrinkle wrinkling

Verb(42 words)

languished lessened lessens loses lowerlower potential energylowered lowers minify minimise minimize minimized minimizes petering plummet plummeted plunge recedes reducereduce environmental output

Show 22 more words

reduced reduces sank shaved shrank shrink shrivel shrunk sink slenderizes subsided subsides subsiding thinned thins wane waned wanes weakenweaken spoken performanceweakens whittle

Noun(50 words)

lessen lessening lop loss lowerlowering ritemenkent minimization minimizingminimum amountmost fall engagement dippeters plummets plungingpower declinereceding recessions reducereduce academic inarticulacyreducing

Show 30 more words

reductionsromanian a diminuasagsscaffolded flexible approachsharp dropshrink shrinkssignificantly diminishedsignificantly lowersinks sises slacks slumpspanish disminuirsteady downward trendstep-downstock declinesubtract tails tapering tapers thinning trims undersize vanishingvolume reductionwane waningweakened formwhittles

Adjective(8 words)

lower energy statenegative pe changerapid decreaserapid descentrarefied shrunkensteady declinesustained downward trend

Choosing the right synonym

Closest matches in this entry: diminish, diminution, fall, lessen, reduction.
Sentence evidence is available for decrease, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
Ranking signals come from wiktionary, wordnet, opengloss, moby, and related lexical sources.

Synonym selection checklist

Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "decrease".
Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.

When not to replace "decrease"

Keep "decrease" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.

If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.

Replacement workflow

1. Preserve meaning

Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "decrease" intact in the sentence you are editing.

2. Tune tone

Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.

3. Re-read context

Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.

Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.

Final fit check

After choosing a replacement for "decrease", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.

If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "decrease" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.

Related word relations

OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.

6 relation types

More general

16 entries

alter alteration amountarithmetic operationchangechange magnitudechange of magnitudemath operationmodification modifyphysical processprocess trend

More specific

18 entries

attendance decreasededuct dip discountmonthly decreasepare plungeprice decreaseseasonal decreaseshorten shrink slash slump subtracttemperature decreasetrim

Showing 16 of 18 words.

Collocations

8 entries

decrease bygradual decreaseprice decreaserapid decreasesharp decreasesignificant decreasesteady decreasetemperature decrease

Inflections

3 entries

decreased decreases decreasing

Derivations

5 entries

decreased decreaser decreases decreasing decreasingly

Antonyms

2 entries

increase

Sample sentences

14 total sentences available.

Tatoeba + Wiktionary

That custom is on the decrease.

Source: tatoeba (44176)

This medicine will decrease your pain.

Source: tatoeba (56562)

This figure is a mirror of the decrease in imports of crude oil.

Source: tatoeba (58280)

It isn't strange that children decrease, too?

Source: tatoeba (245662)

Showing 4 of 14 available sentences.

Common questions

What are the closest synonyms for "decrease"?

Closest matches include diminish, diminution, fall, lessen, reduction.

How should I check whether a synonym fits "decrease"?

Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.

More for "decrease"

Meaning

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