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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

ensmallen en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • /ɛnˈsmɔlən/ (US)
  • /ɪnˈsmɔːlən/ (UK)

Etymology

From small + en- -en, by analogy with embiggen. Attested from 2002. Logical antonym of "embiggen," a humorous neologism popularized by television writer David X. Cohen; see 1996 quotation.

Meanings

  1. (humorous, transitive) To make smaller.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
ensmallens Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
ensmallening Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
ensmallened Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
ensmallened Tense=Past lexicographic

Antonyms

embiggen (antonym(s) of “make bigger”)

Synonyms

debigulate (make smaller)

Translations (6)

pl pomniejszać (Make smaller) · sv krympa (Make smaller) · cmn 缩小 (Make smaller) · pl pomniejszyć (Make smaller) · sv förminska (Make smaller) · ja 縮小する (Make smaller)