de-escalated

verb

past tense of de-escalate
1
as in reduced
to make smaller in amount, volume, or extent first, the mediator tried to de-escalate the tension in the room

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decreased
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually the fighting de-escalated as the peace talks progressed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of de-escalated The conflict was de-escalated by a 2019 peace deal between the government and 14 armed groups, but six of the groups later withdrew from the agreement. — ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026 Geopolitical developments have dominated weekend newsflow, with a flare-up of tensions in Iran being quickly de-escalated. — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 29 June 2026 Several police departments in the region responded to help and de-escalated the situation. — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 17 May 2026 Though surprised, the officer seated at the wheel de-escalated the situation and helped the young man find his family, the father wrote to Movius. — Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026 Trump’s tactic risks reopening fraught geopolitical wounds with Beijing, following its bruising trade war with Washington that de-escalated late last year. — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 13 Jan. 2026 Officers de-escalated the scene, and there were no arrests made, police told the outlet. — Daniel S. Levine, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025 Officers de-escalated the situation and arrested 22-year-old Antonio Mellon. — Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025 Officers de-escalated the situation and got him safely to the ground, Caylor said. — Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for de-escalated
  1. reduced
  2. decreased
  3. subsided
  4. diminished
  5. fell
  6. eased
Verb
  • To help pay for its tax cuts, the act reduced Medicaid payments by a trillion dollars over the next decade, though it was designed to delay the full impact of the cuts until 2027, after this year’s elections.
    — Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The agency reduced service earlier this year and has proposed more cuts in recent board meetings.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of reduced
Verb
  • This means any slowdown in the labor market could create a more serious consumption problem, with the same households facing slower income growth and decreased access to credit.
    — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026
  • And the number of young people who stayed on medication for six months — already quite low — may have actually decreased.
    — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of decreased
Verb
  • But as the initial euphoria of the rescue has subsided, officials have begun to raise difficult questions and trade accusations about the security blunders that could have led to a major disaster.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Questions about security failures But as the initial euphoria of the rescue has subsided, officials have begun to raise difficult questions and trade accusations about the security blunders that could have led to a major disaster.
    — Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of subsided
Verb
  • That is quite far apart from the commercial industry, which actually stands to be diminished by these policy reforms.
    — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 7 Oct. 2026
  • By raw numbers, net domestic out-migration of Californians to other states continues even as the California exodus overall has diminished in strength.
    — Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of diminished
Verb
  • Yet trees that took a millennium to grow can be felled in under an hour.
    — Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Vines are pulled away from fences, and sometimes trees are even felled.
    — The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2026
Definition of fell
Verb
  • After 40 minutes, once the rain eased sufficiently, a call was made to get going, with a damp track offering the first wet racing of the year.
    — Luke Smith, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Those figures describe an economy that is still growing, but one that has neither eased price anxiety nor produced strong hiring.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of eased

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Cite this Entry

“De-escalated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/de-escalated. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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