diminishing returns en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
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(idiomatic, plural, plural-only) A condition in which additional inputs into an organization, project or process produce progressively fewer or lower-quality additional outputs, and may, in extreme cases, cause the total quantity or quality of outputs to decrease.
Like a TV show, Zootopia 2 takes a more sprawling, less focused approach—with new characters like conspiracy theorist beaver Nibbles Maplestick (Fortune Feimster) and Lynxley’s sympathetic son Pawbert (Andy Samberg) eating up a lot of screentime with diminishing returns.
2025 November 25, Caroline Siede, “Zootopia 2 is a stagnant sequel with one stellar subplot”, in AV Club:Brüno was a case of diminishing returns, intermittently amusing but not nearly as bracing or funny as Borat—it didn’t help that Brüno was the most thinly conceived of all his Da Ali G Show characters—and the lead-up to Baron Cohen’s new comedy, The Dictator, made it look like he’d boxed himself into a corner.
2012 May 15, Scott Tobias, “Film: Reviews: The Dictator”, in The Onion AV Club:He added, however, that the system operator is unlikely to use the cellphone alert often, lest Californians start to ignore it. The governor agreed that diminishing returns were a risk.
2022 September 7, Jill Cowan, Shawn Hubler, Ivan Penn, “California Leaders Credit Cellphone Alert for Sudden Conservation”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
Relateds
Translations (5)
ka კლებადი შემოსავალი (Translations) · pl prawo malejących przychodów (Translations) · es rendimientos decrecientes (Translations) · es retornos marginales disminuyentes (Translations) · ka კლებადი მოგება (Translations)