What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Curtail vs Decrease - What's the difference?

curtail | decrease |

In lang=en terms the difference between curtail and decrease

is that curtail is to shorten or abridge the duration of something; to truncate while decrease is to make (a quantity) smaller.

As verbs the difference between curtail and decrease

is that curtail is (obsolete) to cut short the tail of an animal while decrease is of a quantity, to become smaller.

As nouns the difference between curtail and decrease

is that curtail is (architecture) a scroll termination, as of a step, etc while decrease is an amount by which a quantity is decreased.

curtail

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • (obsolete) To cut short the tail of an animal
  • ''Curtailing horses procured long horse-hair.
  • To shorten or abridge the duration of something; to truncate.
  • When the audience grew restless, the speaker curtailed her speech.
  • (figuratively) To limit or restrict, keep in check.
  • Their efforts to curtail spending didn't quite succeed.
  • * Macaulay
  • Our incomes have been curtailed ; his salary has been doubled.

    Synonyms

    * (animal's tail) crop, dock * shorten * behedge, control, limit, restrain

    Derived terms

    * curtailer * curtailment

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (architecture) A scroll termination, as of a step, etc.
  • Anagrams

    *

    decrease

    English

    Verb

    (decreas)
  • Of a quantity, to become smaller.
  • To make (a quantity) smaller.
  • Synonyms

    * (become smaller) drop, fall, go down, plummet (rapidly), plunge (rapidly), reduce, shrink, sink * (make smaller) abate, cut, decrement, lower, reduce

    Antonyms

    * (become larger) go up, grow, increase, rise, soar (rapidly), shoot up (rapidly) * (make larger) increase, increment, raise, up (informal)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An amount by which a quantity is decreased.
  • (knitting) A reduction in the number of stitches, usually accomplished by suspending the stitch to be decreased from another existing stitch or by knitting it together with another stitch. See .
  • Synonyms

    * (amount by which a quantity is decreased) cut, decrement, drop, fall, loss, lowering, reduction, shrinkage

    Antonyms

    * (amount by which a quantity is decreased) gain, increase, increment, raise , rise