scaling down
Making something smaller
Scaling down means reducing in size, scope, or intensity.
A company scales down operations during a recession; a cook scales down a recipe for fewer guests.
The phrase suggests proportional reduction rather than elimination—making something smaller while preserving its essential structure.
We scaled down our vacation plans when money got tight.
- downsizingReducing workforce or scale
- decreaseBecome or make smaller
- retrenchmentReduction of expenditures
- staff reductionDecreasing employee numbers
- miniaturizationReducing physical scale significantly
shrinking · curtailing · reduction · contraction · diminution · lessen · minimize · degrowth · tapering · phasing out · abridgment · rightsize · economizing · belt tightening · whittling · consolidating · restructuring · smaller
- cutbackscutback, cutbacks, decrease, layoff, reduction
- decliningdeclining, waning, fading, diminishing, decreasing
- decreasesreduction, decline, drop, fall, decrease
- Reduceshrink, diminish, decrease, lessen, reduce
- reducingshrinking, lessening, diminishing, decreasing, cutting back
- size changesenlarge, enlargement, expand, expansion, shrink
scaling downscaling up
Increasing capacity or scope
enlarging · magnifying · expanding · upsizing · blowing up
scaling downexpanding
Growing in scope
scaling up · growing · ramping up · building up · hiring
scaling downramping up
Progressively increasing in scale
stepping up · intensifying · escalating · accelerating · doubling down
scale, down, escalate, upscale, scaling, scaled, escalation, escalating, downscale