intr. & tr.v., -creased, -creas·ing, -creas·es.
To grow or cause to grow gradually less or smaller, as in number, amount, or intensity.
n. (dē'krēs')
- The act or process of decreasing.
- The amount by which something decreases.
[Middle English decresen, from Old French decreistre, decreiss-, from Latin dēcrēscere : dē-, de- + crēscere, to grow.]
decreasingly de·creas'ing·ly adv.SYNONYMS decrease, lessen, reduce, dwindle, abate, diminish, subside. These verbs mean to become or cause to become smaller or less. Decrease and lessen refer to steady or gradual diminution: Lack of success decreases confidence. His appetite lessens as his illness progresses. Reduce emphasizes bringing down in size, degree, or intensity: The workers reduced their wage demands. Dwindle suggests decreasing bit by bit to a vanishing point: Their savings dwindled away. Abate stresses a decrease in amount or intensity and suggests a reduction of excess: Toward evening the fire began to abate. Diminish implies taking away or removal: The warden's authority diminished after the revolt. Subside implies a falling away to a more normal level: The wild enthusiasm aroused by the team's victory did not subside for days.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
