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waning

wane
W w

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [weyn]
    • /weɪn/
    • /weɪn/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [weyn]
    • /weɪn/

Definitions of waning word

  • verb without object waning to decrease in strength, intensity, etc.: Daylight waned, and night came on. Her enthusiasm for the cause is waning. 1
  • verb without object waning to decline in power, importance, prosperity, etc.: Colonialism began to wane after World War II. 1
  • verb without object waning to draw to a close; approach an end: Summer is waning. 1
  • verb without object waning (of the moon) to decrease periodically in the extent of its illuminated portion after the full moon. Compare wax2 (def 2). 1
  • noun waning a gradual decrease or decline in strength, intensity, power, etc. 1
  • noun waning the drawing to a close of life, an era, a period, etc. 1

Information block about the term

Origin of waning

First appearance:

before 900
One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; Middle English wanen (v.), Old English wanian to lessen; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle High German wanen, Old Norse vana to cause to wane, destroy

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Waning

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

waning popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 87% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

waning usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for waning

adjective waning

  • fading — to lose brightness or vividness of color.
  • declining — deteriorating gradually, as in quality, health, or character
  • diminishing — Make or become less.
  • disappearing — Present participle of disappear.
  • decreasing — becoming less or fewer; diminishing.

noun waning

  • ebb — the flowing back of the tide as the water returns to the sea (opposed to flood, flow).
  • refluence — flowing back; ebbing, as the waters of a tide.
  • aging — the length of time during which a being or thing has existed; length of life or existence to the time spoken of or referred to: trees of unknown age; His age is 20 years.
  • cropper — a person who cultivates or harvests a crop
  • reflux — a flowing back; ebb.

Antonyms for waning

adjective waning

  • increasing — growing larger or greater; enlarging; augmenting.
  • waxing — Also called beeswax. a solid, yellowish, nonglycerine substance allied to fats and oils, secreted by bees, plastic when warm and melting at about 145°F, variously employed in making candles, models, casts, ointments, etc., and used by bees in constructing their honeycomb.

Top questions with waning

  • what does waning mean?
  • what is the difference between waxing and waning?
  • what is a waning moon?
  • what is waning?
  • what is a waning gibbous?
  • what is waning moon?
  • what is waxing and waning?
  • what is waning gibbous?
  • what does waning moon mean?
  • what does waxing and waning mean?
  • when is the next waning moon?
  • what does waning gibbous moon mean?
  • how to tell if the moon is waxing or waning?
  • what is waxing and waning of the moon?
  • what is a waning crescent?

See also

Matching words

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