waning 1 of 3

adjective

as in declining

Related Words

Relevance

waning

2 of 3

noun

as in fading

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

waning

3 of 3

verb

present participle of wane
as in decreasing
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually in the course of the evening the storm steadily waned

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of waning
Adjective
Even better, the peak of this shower, which should produce on average between 8 to 10 meteors per hour, will arrive under dark skies thanks to a meager waning crescent moon. — Michael D'estries, Travel + Leisure, 16 Jan. 2026
Noun
But Wells points out that in addition to the natural waning of the virus, other public health measures, such as vaccination and isolation, are instrumental in stopping its spread. — Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
At the least, that suggests the union’s dominance of education policy is waning. — U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 July 2026 As its name suggests, Glacier National Park’s rugged mountains and sheer cliffs are crowned by glaciers that are rapidly waning due to global warming. — Josh Laskin, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026 The two sides agreed to a cease-fire at the end of 2024, in the waning days of the Biden administration, but hostilities simmered. — Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 27 June 2026 In what is now the United States' desert Southwest, Velarde was born during the waning years of the Spanish empire and a border whose boundaries and governments changed. — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 2 July 2026 News broke Wednesday that Meta Platforms plans to start a cloud computing business, prompting speculation that the first signs of waning demand for computing capacity may be starting to appear on the horizon. — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 2 July 2026 Saturday, July 11Before dawn, a 13%-lit waning crescent moon appears close to Mars and Aldebaran in Taurus, with the Pleiades star cluster nearby. — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Contributing Writer Keith Cooper has the tale here After Americans declared independence on July 4, 1776, a waning gibbous moon rose in the night sky. — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 4 July 2026 Trust in higher education is also waning, with 70% of Americans saying that higher education is heading in the wrong direction, according to a 2025 survey by the Pew Research Center. — Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 3 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waning
  1. dying
  2. fading
  3. decreasing
  4. failing
  5. declining
  6. diminishing
  7. decaying
  8. wilting
Adjective
  • What’s the vibe for you, post-dying?
    — Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 22 June 2026
  • Garden centers aren't giving a refund for a dying or dead plant but rather a discount on a new purchase.
    — Lauren David, Southern Living, 17 Dec. 2025
Definition of dying
Noun
  • Store your pillows and pool supplies in the Keter Signature 150 Gallon Deck Box, which uses DecoCoat technology that can withstand rain, sun, and extreme weather, and is designed to avoid splintering, fading, or rotting.
    — Terri Williams, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • With daylight fading, the playoff was scheduled for Monday morning.
    — Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 29 June 2026
Definition of fading
Verb
  • Most of these early mandate states were centered around the Northeast, where viral spread started decreasing as a result of normal season patterns.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026
  • Across the United States, cities are decreasing the number of available psychiatric beds just as demand is surging.
    — Ian West, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of decreasing
Adjective
  • The state graded the campus an F for three consecutive years, meaning two more failing grades could trigger an intervention.
    — Noah Alcala Bach, San Antonio Express-News, 1 Jan. 2026
Definition of failing
Noun
  • Reports showing inflation and unemployment declining have subsequently been released, and a nominee for the Federal Reserve chairman role has since been announced.
    — Matt Richardson, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026
Definition of declining
Verb
  • Others expressed concerns about diminishing Black voting power.
    — Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
  • Movies Are Good, Actually By Michael O’Donnell A film critic’s new book attacks the medium for diminishing culture.
    — Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026
Definition of diminishing
Adjective
  • The district also could be in for other major changes in the coming years, including the opening of a few new schools to replace multiple decaying, underenrolled schools.
    — Scott Travis, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
Definition of decaying
Noun
  • Snip the entire stalk, not just the flower head, of individual wilting or dying flowers down to the node so the plant will send out new blooms.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 30 June 2026
  • Forgetting to water certain plants can cause wilting, dormancy, or even prevent blooms from returning.
    — Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 21 June 2026
Definition of wilting

Browse Nearby Words

wangling
waning
wannabe
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Waning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waning. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on waning

Nglish: Translation of waning for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All