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Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ATTENUATE

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pronounce ATTENUATE:

The verb is "uh TEN you ate," as in "Their power has attenuated."

And the adjective is "uh TEN you it," as in "Their power is now attenuate."
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connect this word to others:

Here's the novelist David Guterson:

"Their faces, bathed in the attenuated December light from the tall windows, appeared quiet and even faintly reverent."

If you didn't know the word attenuated, you could figure that December sunlight is weak or thin (compared to, say, July sunlight). And that's a great definition of attenuated: "made weak, or made thin."

As we're exploring that word today, see if you can recall two closely related ones: 

1. Something thin or delicate in a weak, flimsy, loose, unsubstantial way is ten____.

2. Circumstances that make a bad action seem less bad, as if thinning out its seriousness, are __tenu__ing circumstances.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) 

definition:

"Attenuate" comes from the Latin attenuare, "to diminish, or to make thin," which traces further back to tenuare, "make thin," and tenuis, "thin."

We've used "attenuate" in English since the 1500s, first to mean "to make less wide, or to thin by starving," and we still use those meanings today. 

We also use a more figurative meaning: "to weaken, as if by thinning."

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Most often a verb, and most often the transitive kind used passively: "Their strength was attenuated."

Also the intransitive kind: "Their strength attenuated."

Other forms: 

It's much less common, but it's also an adjective: "We stepped into the attenuate late afternoon light."

The other verb forms are "attenuated" and "attenuating."

"Attenuated" and "attenuating" also work as adjectives: "their attenuated strength," "the attenuating effect of the heat and humidity."

how to use it:

"Attenuate" is common and very formal. Pick it when you want to sound serious as you describe something that was once strong, powerful, or substantial, but has now thinned or weakened.

You might talk about attenuated bodies, limbs, voices, light, strength, power, responses, emotions, effects, risks, or relationships.

examples:

"A nearby driftwood tree... had its roots sticking out like the attenuated legs of a huge, pale spider."
  — Stephenie Meyer, Twilight, 2005

"Both plot strands are so vague and attenuated, however, that the film plays like an artsy short stretched to 93 minutes."
  — Mike Hall, New York Times, 18 March 2011

has this page helped you understand "attenuate"?

   

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.


study it:

Explain the meaning of "attenuate" without saying "diminish" or "weaken."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(Something) is attenuated but not lost if (something happens)."

Example 1: "My craving for Goldfish crackers is attenuated but not lost if I snack on some salty edamame."

Example 2: "Weight losses of 5kg... [bring] surprisingly large health benefits, more than halving the risk of developing diabetes in people with raised blood sugar... These benefits are attenuated but not lost if weight is regained."
  — Susan Jebb, as quoted by Sarah Boseley, The Guardian, 29 October 2015




before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for this month is Just Joshing: John Oliver Edition!

Flex your creativity and word-finding skills as you fill in the blanks to create your own joke, following the example of the comedian John Oliver. Since the LOLs are in the details, try making your joke as specific (or weird) as possible.

For example, if I give you "The only things you should be buying on eBay are _____ and _____," then you might give me "The only things you should be buying on eBay are pieces of gum chewed by Elvis and unassembled snowmen." (Oliver's actual joke was "The only things you should be buying on eBay are vintage RadioShack swag and a discarded e-meter from the Church of Scientology.")

Try this one today: "What was the word? 'Muzzle velocity.' Set aside that 'muzzle velocity' sounds like _____."

To see my crack at it, as well as Oliver's original joke, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. The most precise opposite of ATTENUATED is UNATTENUATED. But a pretty close opposite of ATTENUATED is

A. LIFTED.
B. BOLSTERED (made stronger and/or wider).
C. INSINUATED (hinted but not directly stated).

2. A reviewer for the New York Times described a character in a play who projected "an attenuated, almost _____ presence."

A. stark
B. ghostly
C. pompous




Answers to the review questions:
1. B
2. B

From the game:

My crack at it: "What was the word? 'Muzzle velocity.' Set aside that ‘muzzle velocity’ sounds like part of a concerned citizen's pitch for creating a separate dog park for teacup breeds. Can't fit in a handbag? Get out."

Oliver's original joke: "What was the word? 'Muzzle velocity.' Set aside that 'muzzle velocity' sounds like a straight-to-streaming vehicle starring Steven Seagal and six to 10 dog extras."


a final word:


I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.


From my blog:
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A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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