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Gene93 Posted 11 years ago
Vocabulary

to reduce the importance of something

Hello,
Doesn't "reduce"collocate well with "importance"? Does "Employers should not reduce the importance of occupational safety" sound odd? I have a stronger preference for "diminish".
  

Top answer

"diminish" is better.

— GPY

  • "diminish" is better.
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6 Answers
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"diminish" is better.
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Anything else that would work?
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For exactly that meaning, I can't think of anything else. "downplay" and "underestimate" fit but have slightly different connotations.
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I think downplay means "to deliberately make something seem less serious or important". It is different. In this context, when you underestimate something, you probably consider it less important, no?
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"diminish", "downplay" and "underestimate" all imply that you consider it or portray it as less important. "downplay" sounds more deliberate than "underestimate".
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It does. Thank you, GPY.
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