RATCHETING (DOWN) Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

ratcheting (down)

verb

variants also racheting (down)

present participle of ratchet (down)

as in decreasing

to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually news stories about the kidnapping will ratchet down as the weeks go by

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for ratcheting (down)

Verb

One person, by the way, Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia , came out Thursday and said that CoreWeave is fine, doesn't need help — and, in fact, the company's cost of capital is actually decreasing because Nvidia chips more than hold their value.

— Jim Cramer, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
Experts say forever chemicals can have a major impact on your health, compromising immunity, decreasing fertility, causing developmental delays in children and increasing the risk of certain kinds of cancers.

— WCCO Staff, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of decreasing

Verb

That global warming is diminishing them might sounds counterintuitive — climate change, after all, is worsening much of the world’s extreme weather.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Winds will finally begin diminishing Friday evening and overnight.

— Michael Autovino, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of diminishing

Verb

The autocracies are surging, and democracies ebbing.

— Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
That number has fluctuated from a high of 115,000 in May to a low of about 16,000 on the day before this column was published, ebbing and flowing as tickets were purchased, new batches were released and FIFA (maybe) pulled back others.

— Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 10 June 2026

Definition of ebbing

Verb

Experts point to busier schedules, parenting demands, shrinking friendship networks and the appeal of at-home entertainment as some possible reasons for the decline.

— Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Banks that limit their sourcing to other banks are competing for a shrinking pool of people who already think the way the industry has always thought.

— Paul Davis, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of shrinking

Verb

Not doing so and focusing just on sandals and flip-flops means the brand peaks in the spring-summer, and then see the business tapering off in the fall.

— Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026
Al-Deek says relief can come from a few different directions — hormone replacement therapy, switching to a different antidepressant, adjusting your dose or tapering off the medication altogether.

— Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of tapering off

Verb

Women naturally store less creatine than men, and during perimenopause and menopause, declining estrogen can take a toll on both muscle health and mental clarity.

— Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 15 Oct. 2026
The result has been sturdy economic growth, even as lower-income and even middle-income households have continued to struggle under stubborn inflation and declining earnings.

— Rob Wile, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of declining

Verb

Hardware demand Despite these concerns, the sector's hunger for chips doesn't seem to be letting up, as seen in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's record quarter.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
With protests against the moves beginning to take shape, the crackdowns show no signs of letting up, even as international attention and condemnation begins to pour in.

— Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of letting up

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Browse Nearby Words

ratcheted (up)

ratcheting (down)

ratcheting (up)

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“Ratcheting (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratcheting%20%28down%29. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of ratcheting (down)

verb

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