law of diminishing returns
1
7.2
- noun
- /lɔː ʌv dɪˈmɪnɪʃɪŋ rɪˈtɜrnz/
- Specialized
:
ley de rendimientos decrecientes
- The marketing team learned the hard way that after a certain point, increasing their budget gave them less return on investment, which is a clear example of the law of diminishing returns.
We of the minority see a law of diminishing returns in progress.
- We of the minority see a law of diminishing returns in progress.
- But doesn't it seem to you like, you know, there's there's kind of a law of diminishing returns almost to to, you know, sheer force and terror.
Examples
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Wouldn't this downgrade the quality of information flowing and play into the law of diminishing returns?
Blog text (23) -
These are all incorporated in modern oil depletion analyses, and the finding is that the law of diminishing returns still applies.
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I think it also has to do with the "law of diminishing returns."
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Good post about the law of diminishing returns.
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The law of diminishing returns has set in.
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Here the law of diminishing returns take effect because land starts to be limiting.
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Both activities address the law of diminishing returns, just at different depths.
Academic text (2014) -
Campaign efforts, whether monetary or otherwise, are not immune to the law of diminishing returns.
Academic text (1998) -
Labor demand curves slope downward because of the law of diminishing returns.
Academic text (2004) -
Interestingly enough, exercise is very important, but at some point the law of diminishing returns applies.
Blog text (8)
Surface Forms
Morphology
law + of + diminishing + return
The phrase is compositionally built: 'law' (a general principle) of 'diminishing' (getting smaller) 'returns' (yields/profits), so its basic meaning — a principle that returns get smaller — can be directly inferred from the constituents. This is a common, transparent nominal construction (and has parallels in many languages), so a B1 learner who knows the component words would likely grasp the general idea, even if some economic nuance might require higher-level knowledge.
Etymology
Law of diminishing returns comes from a simple image: imagine a farmer adding more fertilizer or workers, but each extra bag or person gives a smaller extra crop. So the 'law' means that after a certain point, putting in more effort or resources gives 'smaller gains' rather than bigger ones.