DIMINISH

[verb] - to reduce or be reduced in size or importanceThere is nothing you can say that will diminish her resolve. [T]I don't want to diminish her achievements, but she did have a lot of help. [T]The memory of them will not be diminished by time. [T]What he did has seriously diminished him in many people's eyes. [T]He says that in his opinion the influence of the church has been slowly diminishing for many years. [I]We have seen the value of our house diminish greatly/sharply/substantially in value over the last six months. [I](legal) If someone is in a state of diminished responsibility /(US) diminished capacity, it means that something, esp. their mental state, has caused them not to be in full control of their actions.Because the accused had been under great stress at the time of the crime, he pleaded not guilty on grounds of diminished responsibility.The law of diminishing returns refers to a situation in which a smaller result is achieved for an increasing amount of effort.