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wane

wane

6 6.6
A slow decrease in size, strength, or number
  • noun
  • /weɪn/
translation icon : declive
  • "The full moon of May is already on the wane," Scott declared.
  • waning of power
  • waning of interest
  • waxing and waning

And prior to Paris, the Olympics were kind of on the wane in terms of mainstream kind of excitement about them.

Examples

  • Perhaps the most obvious manifestation of this was the waning of Rome's importance politically and strategically.

  • Yet today's era is different not only because resource nationalism has been on the wane.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Now the moon is on the wane.

  • Well, with my large and heavy newspaper career slightly on the wane, i'll probably have more time to myself.

  • Many doctors told me that the "custom" of close marriage was on the wane due to increased awareness of such hygienic problems.

    Academic text (2007)
  • By 1924, the British were hopeful that the influence of the "Palace party" was on the wane.

    Academic text (2006)
  • But Bevan did not have much longer to live, and the affiliation was on the wane.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Some scholars have even regretted the waning of the very idea of a "national" interest today.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Nevertheless, these findings suggest that, with the waning of the citizen-soldier ideal, democratic civil-military relations become more difficult to sustain.

    Academic text (2002)
  • The population's interest in traditional print media is on the wane as more people turn to digital news sources.

Synonyms

erosion
vswane
29 4.2

A slow loss of strength, value, or trust

is the overall gradual decline in size strength power or number
ebb
vswane
6 6.5

A gradual fall in strength, power, or public interest

is the general term for the same gradual loss
fading away
vswane
5 3.8

A slow loss of brightness, sound, or strength until almost gone

is the simpler idea of a steady decrease without sensory focus
diminishment
vswane
4 6.7

A decrease in size, strength or importance

focuses on gradual decline in scale or influence rather than the act
ebbing
vswane
1 6.7

A slow decrease in strength, amount, or intensity

is the broader label for that same ongoing reduction
devolution
vswane
1 8.3

A slow decline from a higher to a lower state in quality or power

is the broader idea of steady decline without implying loss of status
dwindling
vswane
1 5.2

A slow decrease in size, number, or strength

is the general concept of decline rather than the image of shrinking
fading
vswane
1 3.0

A slow loss of strength, color, or sound over time

is the neutral term for slow reduction in power or number
downslide
vswane
1 5.1

A period when something gets worse

is the neutral term for gradual decrease rather than a worsening period
waning
vswane
1 6.0

A gradual decrease in size or strength

has identical meaning but appears in a different grammatical form
decrescendo
vswane
  • Specialized
1 7.4

A gradual decrease in volume in music

is the general decline sense not limited to musical sound
weakening
vswane
3.2

A process that makes a person or thing less strong

is the broader idea of steady decline in size or number
tapering
vswane
6.5

A slow reduction in size or amount done in stages

describes decline without implying staged or planned reduction

Antonyms

1.6

An increase in size, number, or importance of something

241 3.3

An increase in size, amount, or range

Idioms

3 6.7

Becoming less strong, less important, or less common

How Much

collapse
350 4.1
to slump
16 4.1
wane
6 6.6
to dip
47 2.5

Surface Forms

wane singular
wanes plural

Etymology

The noun wane comes from the old English verb wanian meaning 'to lessen'. A wane is a period when something slowly becomes smaller, weaker, or less popular.