watering down
Making less potent
Watering down is diluting something to reduce its strength or intensity.
Literally, you water down a drink by adding water: The bartender was watering down the whiskey.
Figuratively, it means weakening or softening: Critics accused the committee of watering down the legislation.
The past participle watered-down works as an adjective: a watered-down version of the original proposal.
- diluteReduce by adding solvent
- defangingRemoving dangerous teeth
- thinningReducing density or number
- weakLacking power or force
- weakeningBecoming less strong
compromising · diminishing · neutering · gutting · half-measures · bowdlerizing · attenuating · trivializing · selling short · soft-pedaling · oversimplification · undermining · tampering · censoring · muting · blunting · hedging · fudging
- downplayingminimizing, downplay, trivializing, belittling, soft-pedal
- censorshipbanned books, censored, banned, book banning, book bans
- food adulterationdilution, cutting, tampering, doctoring, bulking
- corruptioncorruption, graft, kickbacks, bribery, bribes
- declinesdrop, decline, downtrend, downturn, downfall
- decliningdeclining, waning, fading, diminishing, decreasing
watering downconcentrating
Directing mental effort narrowly
strengthening · fortifying · intensifying · thickening · enriching
watering downstrengthening
Increasing power or solidity
intensifying · bolstering · reinforcing · amplifying · beefing up
watering downpreserving
Protecting from deterioration
purifying · refining · distilling · concentrating · authenticating
down, water, weaken, watery, watered, watering, aquarium, waters, aquatic