PRUNING Synonyms: 25 Similar and Opposite Words

pruning

verb

present participle of prune

as in shaving

to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument pruned the dead branches from the old apple tree

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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 pruning Big companies like UnitedHealth Group, Humana, and others are chasing higher profits by pruning benefits, after investors grew dissatisfied with margins that were smaller than the insurers had promised. — Bob Herman, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026 Pruning ‘Kaleidoscope’ Abelia ‘Kaleidoscope’ Abelia naturally develops a low mounding crown that requires little pruning to maintain. — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 Sep. 2026 Like many bulbs, lilies store nutrients in their bulbs over winter, so pruning too early can reduce next year’s blooms of these perennial flowers. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Sep. 2026 Unfolding through a single, intimate scene, the film brings together a group of people quietly pruning bonsai trees in unison. — Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026 Gregory Hair, the founder and managing director of SLIDE Living, also recommends pruning your hibiscus lightly. — Jane Kim, The Spruce, 26 Sep. 2026 These premium fruits also often require methodical techniques to ensure their signature characteristics, like the precise amount of sunlight or the timing of pruning. — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pruning

Verb

After finally shaving his beard off, Colbert concluded the interview by gifting Kimmel something special from his show.

— Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026
Colbert had no hesitation about taking the tool to his facial hair, shaving it off and returning to his recognizable clean-shaven look.

— Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of shaving

Verb

But while the wider economy has come under pressure, with inflation hovering above 4% and the government trimming its economic growth forecasts, Brazil has also been an economic beneficiary of higher oil prices as a net oil exporter.

— Chloe Taylor,Thomas Da Graca Barlow, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
The hair architect responsible for trimming Lawrence’s texture on Tuesday has not yet been revealed.

— Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of trimming

Verb

This change is apparent in the fact that European governments, too, are cutting funding for religious freedom advocacy.

— Matthew Schmitz, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
In a sign of growing staff unrest over the steady stream of cost-cutting announcements across the BBC, some workers made their feelings known on a Microsoft Teams call earlier this week.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of cutting

Verb

Gen Z Wants to Go Ghost, Not Girlboss That said, the characters do have to be worth clipping, and love him or hate him, Ryan Murphy has always had a knack for creating fictional people who feel bigger than whatever nonsensical story spawned them.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026
The sequence stylistically excises itself from the episode as though clipping it, anticipating its excision from the show when uploaded to a video-sharing platform.

— Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of clipping

Verb

Mock skeletons are everywhere in the weeks leading up to Halloween, but a real one turned up as someone was mowing grass in eastern North Carolina, police say.

— Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 4 Oct. 2026
Raised roots make mowing more difficult and can be damaged by mower blades.

— Tricia Goss, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of mowing

Browse Nearby Words

prunes

pruning

prurience

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“Pruning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pruning. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of pruning

verb

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