# diminished

/dɪˈmɪnɪʃt/ (US) · /dɪmˈɪnɪʃt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/diminished
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. reduced or weakened

adjective · CEFR B2

made smaller, weaker, or less in amount.

For teachers: reduced in size, degree, or intensity; having undergone a process of decrease.

- After the long drought, the farmers had to survive on a diminished supply of water.
- The company faced significant challenges operating with a diminished workforce following the sudden round of budget cuts.

### 2. less important

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

made to seem less important or valuable than before.

For teachers: characterised by a loss of status, reputation, or perceived value.

- He felt like a diminished figure in the company after his project failed.
- The former minister lived out his final years as a diminished presence in public life, rarely consulted by his successors.

### 3. musical interval

adjective · CEFR C2 · Technical

describes a musical note or chord that has been lowered by a small step.

For teachers: denoting an interval that is a semitone smaller than a perfect or minor interval.

- The composer used a diminished chord to create a feeling of tension in the film scene.
- The transition relies on a series of diminished sevenths to build harmonic instability before finally resolving to the tonic.

## Examples

- His influence in the company is diminished now.
- After the scandal, the politician faced the public with a significantly diminished reputation.
- The artist's later works show a diminished sense of scale, focusing instead on intimate, domestic details that were previously absent from his portfolio.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.