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Shortened vs Decrease - What's the difference?

shortened | decrease |

As verbs the difference between shortened and decrease

is that shortened is (shorten) while decrease is of a quantity, to become smaller.

As a noun decrease is

an amount by which a quantity is decreased.

shortened

English

Verb

(head)
  • (shorten)
  • Anagrams

    *

    shorten

    English

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To make shorter; to abbreviate.
  • * 1877 , (Anna Sewell), (Black Beauty) Chapter 22[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Black_Beauty/22]
  • 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.
  • To become shorter.
  • To make deficient (as to); to deprive (of).
  • * Dryden
  • Spoiled of his nose, and shortened of his ears.
  • To make short or friable, as pastry, with butter, lard, etc.
  • To reduce or diminish in amount, quantity, or extent; to lessen.
  • to shorten an allowance of food
  • * Dryden
  • Here, where the subject is so fruitful, I am shortened by my chain.
  • (nautical) To take in the slack of (a rope).
  • (nautical) To reduce (sail) by taking it in.
  • Synonyms

    * See also .

    Antonyms

    * lengthen

    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