minimize
verb
Simple meaning
To make smaller or as small as possible.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
minuhmyzSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈmɪnəmaɪz
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To make (something) smaller or as small as possible; shrink; reduce.
Make small or insignificant
transitive
To treat as trivial or insignificant; to trivialize.
transitive
To relegate or assign (something) to a less insignificant status; diminish.
transitive
To treat (someone) in a slighting manner.
computingtransitivegraphical user interface
To remove (a window) from the main display area, collapsing it to an icon or caption.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To make (something) smaller or as small as possible; shrink; reduce.
Used this way, minimize is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use minimize
- “Let's minimize the risk.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
The act of reducing something to the least possible amount or degree or position.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.