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 | Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th 
 
	
		|  diminish 
 
 di·min·ish AW  [diminish diminishes diminished diminishing] BrE [dɪˈmɪnɪʃ]  NAmE [dɪˈmɪnɪʃ]   verb
 1. intransitive, transitive ~ (sth) to become or to make sth become smaller, weaker, etc.
 Syn:   ↑decrease
 •The world's resources are rapidly diminishing.
 •His influence has diminished with time.
 •Our efforts were producing  diminishing returns (= we achieved less although we spent more time or money).
 2. transitive ~ sb/sth to make sb/sth seem less important than they really are
 Syn:   ↑belittle
 •I don't wish to diminish the importance of their contribution.
 Verb forms:
   
 Word Origin:
 late Middle English: blend of archaic  minish ‘diminish’  (based on  Latin minutia ‘smallness’) and obsolete  diminue ‘speak disparagingly’  (based on  Latin deminuere ‘lessen’  (in  late Latin diminuere), from  minuere ‘make small’).
 
 Example Bank:
 •Our efforts were producing diminishing returns.
 •The world's resources are rapidly diminishing.
 
 
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