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A lightweight JavaScript package for English word definitions and collections.
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{
"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’)."
}