Master confusing words with ease
Diminish vs. Minimize
Diminish
/dəˈmɪnɪʃ/Examples:
Akakii Akakievichs cheerfulness diminished at this point in a marked degree.On the contrary, it will diminish.His authority began to diminish after the scandal.
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Antonyms:
Minimize
/ˈmɪnəmaɪz/Examples:
He tried to minimize the damage caused by his error.Let's minimize waste to support environmental efforts.We need to minimize costs for a higher profit margin.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Minimize often suggests reducing something to the lowest possible level, but not always to none.
- Diminish often implies making something smaller or less important, but it still retains some of its original presence.
- Think of minimize when involved in strategy or management contexts where efficiency and optimization are key.
- Use diminish in contexts where something gradually loses size, power, or significance, often due to external factors.
- Simply put, minimize often aims for efficiency, while diminish involves a decrease or reduction over time or importance.
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