waning

[ wey-ning ]

adjective

1. decreasing in strength, intensity, etc.:

   Many teens in focus groups expressed waning enthusiasm for social media.

2. declining in power, importance, prosperity, etc.:

   The recent hacking of the retailer’s credit card system will have devastating implications for its already waning business.

3. drawing to a close; approaching an end:

   The bill will likely be passed in the waning days of this legislative session.

4. (of the moon) decreasing in the extent of its illuminated portion after the full moon:

   The crescent of fine white sand, wrapped around the bay, looked like a waning moon.

noun

1. the process of decreasing, declining, or coming to an end:

   The Middle Ages occurred between the waning of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Renaissance.

2. (of the moon) the process of decreasing in the extent of its illuminated portion after the full moon:

   Onion seeds are planted in the fall, during the waning of the Harvest Moon.

Other Words From

• un·wan·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of waning¹

First recorded before 900; wan(e) ( def ) + -ing ²( def ) for the adjective senses; wan(e) ( def ) + -ing ¹( def ) for the noun senses

Example Sentences

Trump’s recent comments and his decision to just listen to music at a rally provided the starkest picture yet of his waning mental acuity.

From Los Angeles Times

Trump’s recent comments and his decision to just listen to music at a rally provided the starkest picture yet of his waning mental acuity.

From Los Angeles Times

In a sign of his waning influence, his chosen successor for his supervisor’s seat failed to place in the top two in the March primary.

From Los Angeles Times

Where cars sit idle beneath the open sky, trees might one day arch overhead and couples linger in a waning twilight.

From Los Angeles Times

War movies have always made use of spectacle to heighten existential dangers, but “Blitz” is a welcome reminder that a bruised, searching and flawed home front, in the waning days of empire, was its own fascinating emotional terrain too.

From Los Angeles Times