verb
attenuate
Attenuate (verb) means to make something smaller, weaker or less in amount.
verb
1
To make something smaller, weaker or less in amount.
2
To make something thinner, for example by shaping, starving or decay.
"Lovell, wan and hollow-eyed, his arm in a sling, his once burly frame gaunt and attenuated with disease, nodded."
— E. Phillips Oppenheim (1906)
3
To grow thinner or become less.
4
To make a bacterium or virus less able to cause disease.
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Etymology
The verb is first attested in 1530, the adjective in 1626; borrowed from Latin attenuātus, the perfect passive participle of attenuō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ad- (“to, towards, at”) + tenuo (“to make thin”), itself from tenuis (“thin”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).
Synonyms
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rarefy
Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for attenuate
See all rhymes for attenuate →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of attenuate?
"attenuate" (verb) means to make something smaller, weaker or less in amount.
What is another word for attenuate?
Other words for "attenuate" include rarefy.
What is the opposite of attenuate?
Opposites of "attenuate" include increase, amplify, expand, strengthen, intensify.
What are the different meanings of attenuate?
"attenuate" has 3 main meanings: 1. To make something smaller, weaker or less in amount; 2. To make something thinner, for example by shaping, starving or decay; 3. To grow thinner or become less.
