{
    "term": "diminish",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "academic": true,
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "diminish",
            "heSheIt": "diminishes"
        },
        "pastSimple": "diminished",
        "pastParticiple": "diminished",
        "ingForm": "diminishing"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to become smaller, weaker, etc.; to make something become smaller, weaker, etc.",
            "sensetop": "diminish something",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The world's resources are rapidly diminishing."
                },
                {
                    "text": "His influence has diminished with time."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The new law is expected to diminish the government's chances of winning the general election.",
                    "contextForm": "diminish something"
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "decrease"
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to make somebody/something seem less important than they really are",
            "sensetop": "diminish somebody/something",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "I don't wish to diminish the importance of their contribution."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Far from enhancing his stature, her efforts have diminished him."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used to refer to a point at which you start achieving less than the value of the time or money you put into something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Our efforts were producing diminishing returns."
                },
                {
                    "text": "In general, the more exercise you take, the greater the health benefit; but beyond a certain level you get diminishing returns."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/dɪˈmɪnɪʃ/",
                "audio": "di/diminish/diminish__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/dɪˈmɪnɪʃɪz/",
                "audio": "di/diminish/diminishes__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/dɪˈmɪnɪʃt/",
                "audio": "di/diminish/diminished__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/dɪˈmɪnɪʃɪŋ/",
                "audio": "di/diminish/diminishing__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/dɪˈmɪnɪʃ/",
                "audio": "di/diminish/diminish__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/dɪˈmɪnɪʃɪz/",
                "audio": "di/diminish/diminishes__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/dɪˈmɪnɪʃt/",
                "audio": "di/diminish/diminished__us_2.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/dɪˈmɪnɪʃɪŋ/",
                "audio": "di/diminish/diminishing__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "late Middle English: blend of archaic minish ‘diminish’ (based on Latin minutia ‘smallness’) and obsolete diminue ‘speak disparagingly’ (based on Latin deminuere ‘lessen’ (in late Latin diminuere), from minuere ‘make small’)."
}