Decrease vs Shorten - What's the difference?
decrease | shorten |
Of a quantity, to become smaller.
To make (a quantity) smaller.
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 .
To make shorter; to abbreviate.
* 1877 , (Anna Sewell), (Black Beauty) Chapter 22[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Black_Beauty/22]
To become shorter.
To make deficient (as to); to deprive (of).
* Dryden
To make short or friable, as pastry, with butter, lard, etc.
To reduce or diminish in amount, quantity, or extent; to lessen.
* Dryden
(nautical) To take in the slack of (a rope).
(nautical) To reduce (sail) by taking it in.
In intransitive terms the difference between decrease and shorten
is that decrease is of a quantity, to become smaller while shorten is to become shorter.In transitive terms the difference between decrease and shorten
is that decrease is to make (a quantity) smaller while shorten is to reduce or diminish in amount, quantity, or extent; to lessen.As a noun decrease
is an amount by which a quantity is decreased.decrease
English
Verb
(decreas)Synonyms
* (become smaller) drop, fall, go down, plummet (rapidly), plunge (rapidly), reduce, shrink, sink * (make smaller) abate, cut, decrement, lower, reduceAntonyms
* (become larger) go up, grow, increase, rise, soar (rapidly), shoot up (rapidly) * (make larger) increase, increment, raise, up (informal)Noun
(en noun)Synonyms
* (amount by which a quantity is decreased) cut, decrement, drop, fall, loss, lowering, reduction, shrinkageAntonyms
* (amount by which a quantity is decreased) gain, increase, increment, raise , riseshorten
English
Verb
(en verb)- York came round to our heads and shortened the rein himself, one hole I think; every little makes a difference, be it for better or worse, and that day we had a steep hill to go up.
- Spoiled of his nose, and shortened of his ears.
- to shorten an allowance of food
- Here, where the subject is so fruitful, I am shortened by my chain.