dwindle
Slowly peter out
Dwindle means to shrink or diminish gradually over time.
Supplies dwindle, populations dwindle, hopes dwindle.
The word emphasizes slow decline rather than sudden loss: Her savings dwindled to nothing.
Unlike decrease, dwindle carries a sense of fading away toward insignificance or exhaustion.
To make smaller
- reduceMake smaller in degree
- lessenReduce in degree
- shrinkDecrease in size
- contractEnforceable written agreement
decline · drop · fall · lower · deplete · curtail · downsize · minimize
Cease to be visible
- disappearPass from visibility
- evanesceDisappear by degrees
- dissipateGradually fade away
- melt awayGradually disappear completely
evaporate · dissolve · blur · pale · dim · recede · peter out · trail off
diminish
To make smaller
contract · decline · drop · fall · lower · deplete · curtail · downsize · minimize · taper
vanish
Cease to be visible
melt away · evaporate · dissolve · blur · pale · dim · recede · peter out · trail off · thin out
ebb
Gradual retreat seaward
wind down · die down · tail off · let up · slack off · ease off · cool off · run low · run out · give out
deteriorate
Grow worse over time
- degenerateDecline morally or physically
- decayGradual organic breakdown
- erodeDiminish through persistent friction
crumble · wither · weaken · languish · flag · wilt · sag · slump · falter · depreciate
- declinesdrop, decline, downtrend, downturn, downfall
- fizzle outpeter out, taper off, wane, die away, ebb
- declinedecline, in decline, decrease, downswing, on the decline
- decreasesreduction, decline, drop, fall, decrease
- diminishingabate, decrease, diminish, ebb, fade
- Reduceshrink, diminish, decrease, lessen, reduce