decreasing

[dih-kree-sing]

adjective

1. becoming less or fewer; diminishing.

2. Mathematics.,  (of a function) having the property that for any two points in the domain such that one is larger than the other, the image of the larger point is less than or equal to the image of the smaller point; nonincreasing.

Other Word Forms

• decreasingly adverb
• undecreasing adjective
• undecreasingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of decreasing¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; decrease, -ing ²

Example Sentences

“Our bank balance is consistently decreasing. This is inherently unsustainable,” Chandanpurkar said.

From Los Angeles Times

This was the same number as 2023 but the longer term trend shows the number of adoptions have been decreasing.

From BBC

Local trade union leaders such as Bhavesh Tank say workers here face "decreasing wages, forced leave and shrinking monthly incomes".

From BBC

“Talking to our customers, regulation is the biggest factor in short-term rental inventory decreasing,” said Derek Jones, Hospitable’s vice president of sales and partnerships.

From Los Angeles Times

Despite the extra pressure from the demand and decreasing number of volunteers, Ms McDonald said she would persevere as the support was "still needed".

From BBC

Related Words

• collapsing www.thesaurus.com
• descending www.thesaurus.com
• lowering 
• plunging www.thesaurus.com
• sliding 
• tumbling 
• weakening www.thesaurus.com

When To Use

What does decreasing mean?

Decreasing is an adjective that means lessening or in decline—becoming less in number, amount, size, or in some other way.It comes from the continuous tense (-ing form) of the verb decrease, which means to lessen or become reduced in number, amount, size, or in some other way, as in Our profits will continue to decrease unless we cut costs.The word decreased can also be used as an adjective to describe things that have lessened or declined, as in a decreased appetite.Example: Decreasing sales have forced the company to cut costs.