Words / C2

uh-TEN-yoo-ayt/əˈtenjueɪt/

Attenuate means make thinner or weaker: an attenuated signal, attenuate the impact. Weaken is the plain cousin; dilute is for liquids and arguments. Attenuated can describe a vaccine (weakened virus) in science. Do not use it for “make shorter” — that is shorten or abridge.

Meaning

To make something thinner or weaker (formal).

Examples

• “Distance attenuated the radio signal.”
• “Trees attenuated the wind before it reached the house.”
• “The reform was attenuated until almost nothing remained.”

Good to know

attenuate a signal/impact (formal). Plain: weaken. Liquids/arguments: dilute.

Near in meaning

weaken

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