different between dwindle vs stagnate

English

Etymology

Frequentative form of dwine, from Middle English dwinen, from Old English dw?nan (“to waste away”), equivalent to dwine +? -le, akin to Old Norse dvena/dvína (Danish tvine (“to pine away”), Dutch verdwijnen (“to disappear, dwindle”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?dw?n.d?l/
• Rhymes: -?nd?l

Verb

dwindle (third-person singular simple present dwindles, present participle dwindling, simple past and past participle dwindled)

1. (intransitive) To decrease, shrink, diminish, reduce in size or intensity.
   • 1802, T. Paynell (translator), Erasmus, The Complaint of Peace

     [E]very thing that was improving gradually degenerates and dwindles away to nothing, […]

2. (intransitive, figuratively) To fall away in quality; degenerate, sink.
   • 1766, Oliver Goldsmith, Vicar, III

     The flattery of his friends began to dwindle into simple approbation.

   • 1919, Boris Sidis, The Source and Aim of Human Progress

     The larger the empire, the more dwindles the mind of the citizen.
3. (transitive) To lessen; to bring low.

   • Our drooping days are dwindled down to nought.

4. To break up or disperse.

Derived terms

Translations

References

Anagrams

• windled

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?stæ?ne?t/

Verb

stagnate (third-person singular simple present stagnates, present participle stagnating, simple past and past participle stagnated)

1. To cease motion, activity, or progress:
   1. (of water, air, etc) To cease to flow or run.

      If the water stagnates, algae will grow.

   2. (of water, air, etc) To be or become foul from standing.

      Air stagnates in a closed room.

   3. To cease to develop, advance, or change; to become idle.
      • 1826, Walter Scott, Woodstock

        Ready-witted tenderness […] never stagnates in vain lamentations while there is any room for hope.

      • 2003, Ernest Verity, Get Wisdom ?ISBN, page 434:

        Listening to what others say, especially to what they teach, prevents our minds stagnating, thus promoting mental growth into old age.

Derived terms

• stagnant
• stagnation

Translations

Anagrams

• attagens

Italian

Verb

stagnate

1. second-person plural present indicative of stagnare
2. second-person plural imperative of stagnare
3. feminine plural of stagnato

Anagrams

• stangate