# diminish

> English word · Verb · IPA /dɪˈmɪnɪʃ/ · frequency rank #15,801

## Definitions
1. To make smaller.
2. To become less or smaller.
3. To make appear smaller than in reality; to dismiss as unimportant.
4. To lessen the authority or dignity of; to put down; to degrade; to abase; to weaken; to nerf (in gaming).
5. To taper.
6. To disappear gradually.
7. To take away; to subtract.

## Etymology
Formed under the influence of both diminue (from Old French diminuer, from Latin dīminuo) and minish.

## Easily confused with
- **diminished** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/diminish-vs-diminished)

## Common misspellings (12)
`ddiminish`, `diimnish`, `dimiinsh`, `diminihs`, `diminishh`, `diminissh`, `diminnish`, `diminsih`, `dimminish`, `dimniish`, `dmiinish`, `idminish`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/diminish