Dwindle vs Curtail - What's the difference?
dwindle | curtail |
To decrease, shrink, diminish, reduce in size.
* 1802 , , translated by T. Paynell,
(figuratively) To fall away in quality; degenerate, sink.
* Jonathan Swift
* 1919 ,
* '>citation
To lessen; to bring low.
* Thomson
To break; to disperse.
(obsolete) To cut short the tail of an animal
To shorten or abridge the duration of something; to truncate.
(figuratively) To limit or restrict, keep in check.
* Macaulay
In lang=en terms the difference between dwindle and curtail
is that dwindle is to decrease, shrink, diminish, reduce in size while curtail is to shorten or abridge the duration of something; to truncate.In figuratively|lang=en terms the difference between dwindle and curtail
is that dwindle is (figuratively) to fall away in quality; degenerate, sink while curtail is (figuratively) to limit or restrict, keep in check.As verbs the difference between dwindle and curtail
is that dwindle is to decrease, shrink, diminish, reduce in size while curtail is (obsolete) to cut short the tail of an animal.As a noun curtail is
(architecture) a scroll termination, as of a step, etc.dwindle
English
Verb
(dwindl)- [E]very thing that was improving gradually degenerates and dwindles away to nothing,
- The flattery of his friends began to dwindle into simple approbation.'' (''Goldsmith , Vicar, III)
- Religious societies, though begun with excellent intentions, are said to have dwindled into factious clubs.
- The larger the empire, the more dwindles the mind of the citizen.
- Our drooping days are dwindled down to naught.
- (Clarendon)
References
curtail
English
Verb
(en verb)- ''Curtailing horses procured long horse-hair.
- When the audience grew restless, the speaker curtailed her speech.
- Their efforts to curtail spending didn't quite succeed.
- Our incomes have been curtailed ; his salary has been doubled.