WINNOWING Synonyms: 122 Similar and Opposite Words

winnowing

verb

present participle of winnow

as in culling

to remove less desirable choices from a group or list They winnowed the pool of applicants down to a few of the strongest candidates. I tried to winnow out the options that weren't a good value for the price.

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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 winnowing The club is winnowing down its pitching options. — Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 9 Mar. 2026 Is the only pleasure in her winnowing life to be denied? — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 Feb. 2026 Iowa’s legislative funnel deadline has done its job again, winnowing the list of bills that still could become laws this year. — Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register, 20 Mar. 2026 All that standing and walking and winnowing down culminated with Tuesday night’s best in show event. — Poupay Jutharat, Vogue, 4 Feb. 2026 The fewer skiing trails and snow resorts that exist around the world, the more expensive and inaccessible these sports will become, winnowing the potential pool of future Olympians further. — Laura Millan, Bloomberg, 4 Feb. 2026 Even in the face of Comcast’s subscriber-winnowing move to shift NESN to its pricier service tier, the network’s ratings continue to grow. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 12 June 2026 As in baseball, the awards race may be winnowing to the two true outcomes — a world where Best Picture nominees are either a huge Hollywood blockbuster or a foreign-language film from Cannes. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025 With 21 applicants to choose from, the Miami-Dade School Board kicked off the process of winnowing down that field to select a new superintendent at a special meeting Wednesday. — Austin Horn june 25, Miami Herald, 25 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for winnowing

Verb

Germany banned chick culling back in 2022, even before commercially viable in-ovo sexing machines existed.

— Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
Last year, CargoWise and E2Open parent WiseTech Global announced a nearly 30 percent culling of its staff through 2027, overtly tying the job cuts to its deployments of AI technologies.

— Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 11 June 2026

Definition of culling

Verb

Conviction should not prevent an investor from trimming or exiting once the valuation has absorbed the catalyst.

— Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
While some varieties will rebloom without deadheading, trimming fading flowers keeps the flower bed from looking tired.

— Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 30 June 2026

Definition of trimming

Verb

The lineup already was revving, as Rushing homered in the second inning while Sasaki was still in the game, and both Kyle Tucker and Muncy drove in runs off starter Randy Vasquez in the third, cutting the deficit to two.

— Liana Handler Follow, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
The Rockets essentially dumped Finney-Smith in a cost-cutting move after making some free agent transactions, notably signing guard Marcus Smart, and surrendered three second-rounders to the Hornets to seal the deal.

— Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 3 July 2026

Definition of cutting

Verb

Manucurist formulates its masks with panthenol, a form of vitamin B5, to hydrate and strengthen dry nails over time, reducing breakage.

— Irene Richardson, InStyle, 4 July 2026
Even tiny electromagnetic disturbances can disrupt the quantum states that perform calculations, reducing the accuracy and reliability of the system.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 July 2026

Definition of reducing

Verb

The market is currently pricing in one 25 basis point interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve this year, though comments made by Warsh at a meeting of global central bankers this week have led to investors paring their bets monetary tightening.

— Billy Bambrough, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
But this is the year to adopt a different strategy of paring down.

— Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 1 July 2026

Definition of paring

Browse Nearby Words

winnowed (out)

winnowing

winnows

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“Winnowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winnowing. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of winnowing

verb

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