as in cut
to cause to diminish gradually by or as if by cutting off bits with a knife
He was sitting on the porch, whittling a stick.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whittled
Verb
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In March, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that more than 80% of all USAID grants were being permanently cut.—
Violet Ikong,
Christian Science Monitor,
14 Apr. 2025 -
Those scenes were ultimately cut for space before the show ever started production, so Mazin resurrected the idea for Season 2.—
Adam B. Vary,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The net simply gets clipped onto the detector as needed.—
Ben Coxworth,
New Atlas,
30 Dec. 2024
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The car moved across multiple lanes, clipped another vehicle, struck the outer retention wall then careened back across all lanes of traffic.—
Hope Karnopp,
Journal Sentinel,
15 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Piper Sandler lowered its price target on Lowe’s and Home Depot to account for pressures on big-ticket spending and tariffs.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2025
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Citigroup lowered its price targets across the banking sector, including Club names Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo .—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The stock rebounded Friday, but pared gains during the afternoon.—
Bloomberg,
The Mercury News,
17 Mar. 2025
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The design is fairly minimalist, with only a few pine sprigs, a furry blanket, and faux tea lights to create some ambiance; the wet room-style bathrooms are similarly pared-back.—
Nicole Trilivas,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Whittled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whittled. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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