Synonyms of winnowed

winnowed

verb

past tense of winnow

as in culled

to remove less desirable choices from a group or list

They winnowed the pool of applicants down to a few of the strongest candidates.

I tried to winnow out the options that weren't a good value for the price.

Related Words

• culled
• trimmed
• cut
• pared
• sifted
• reduced
• discarded
• filtered
• jettisoned
• rejected
• slashed
• refused
• shortened
• spurned
• condensed
• threw away
• pruned
• declined
• turned down
• threw out
• shrank
• truncated
• cropped
• repudiated
• dwindled
• decreased
• curtailed
• depleted
• disapproved
• retrenched
• clipped
• downsized
• cut down
• abbreviated
• lowered
• abridged
• compressed
• cut back
• cleared
• eased
• dented
• nicked
• contracted
• docked
• abated
• lessened
• dropped
• whittled (down)
• negatived
• knocked down
• minimized
• downscaled
• modulated
• modified
• constricted
• deflated
• sieved
• qualified
• moderated
• distilled
• screened
• refined
• purified
• processed
• de-escalated
• fined
• bolted
• clarified
• rectified
• garbled

Dissimilar Words

• selected
• picked
• culled
• elected
• named
• took
• preferred
• chose
• set
• adopted
• appointed
• accepted
• designated
• nominated
• tapped
• marked
• preselected
• tagged
• fixed
• singled (out)
• embraced
• handpicked
• opted (for)
• espoused
• settled (on or upon)
• swelled
• cherry-picked
• extended
• inflated
• added (to)
• supplemented
• prolonged
• dilated
• lengthened
• distended
• tabbed
• elongated
• blew up
• complemented
• increased
• protracted
• intensified
• expanded
• enhanced
• heightened
• raised
• augmented
• enlarged
• amplified
• redoubled
• boosted
• escalated
• aggrandized

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of winnowed

Launched in the spring, a panel of 10 judges winnowed the contest to six finalists in June, putting the proposals on display at the Chicago Cultural Center. — Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026

Tech stocks’ forward P/E has quickly winnowed to near pre-COVID levels and isn’t much more expensive than the broader market. — Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Republicans hold a narrow 53-47 majority in the Senate, which has been winnowed to 52 during McConnell’s extended absence — meaning Blanche can only afford two Republican defections to be confirmed. — Kevin Breuninger,garrett Downs, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026

The number of options could initially stretch into the billions as the league winnowed down the choices. — Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 28 July 2026

The board winnowed down its list from six semifinalists to two in a vote at a special meeting held Tuesday. — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 21 July 2026

The World Cup’s final week is expected to pack a punch as the global field of contenders is winnowed to two. — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 11 July 2026

The first knockout round continues through Friday night, when the field will be winnowed to 16 teams. — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 28 June 2026

The council winnowed that list down to five finalists who interviewed for the post last week ahead of Monday’s vote. — Mary Ramsey updated June 22, Charlotte Observer, 23 June 2026