minimize

English

Alternative forms

• minimise (non-Oxford British English)

Etymology

From Latin minimus +‎ -ize.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmɪn.ɪ.maɪz/, /ˈmɪn.ə.maɪz/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmɪn.əˌmaɪz/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Verb

minimize (third-person singular simple present minimizes, present participle minimizing, simple past and past participle minimized)

1. (transitive) To make (something) smaller or as small as possible; shrink; reduce.

   We have to minimize the budget.

   Try to minimize your biases.

2. (transitive) To relegate or assign (something) to a less insignificant status; diminish.

   The insurance adjuster tried to minimize the extent of the damage to lessen the company's exposure to liability.

3. (computing, transitive, graphical user interface) To remove (a window) from the main display area, collapsing it to an icon or caption.

   I didn't close anything, but I minimized all the windows so I could see the desktop.

4. (transitive) To treat (someone) in a slighting manner.
   • 1993, Jan McDaniel, One Golden Summer, page 95:

     […] father who had never openly minimized him or anything he did […]

Translations

to make small as possible

• Armenian: նվազագույնի հասցնել (nvazaguyni hascʻnel), նվազեցնել (hy) (nvazecʻnel)
• Bulgarian: намалявам (bg) (namaljavam), минимизирам (minimiziram)
• Catalan: minimitzar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 最小化 (zh) (zuìxiǎohuà)

• Czech: minimalizovat
• Estonian: minimaliseerima
• Finnish: minimoida (fi), vähätellä (fi)
• French: minimiser (fr)
• German: minimieren (de)
• Greek: ελαχιστοποιώ (el) (elachistopoió)
• Irish: íoslaghdaigh, íosmhéadaigh
• Italian: minimizzare (it)
• Japanese: 最小化する (さいしょうかする, saishōka suru)
• Korean: 최소화(最小化)하다 (choesohwahada)
• Maori: whakamōkito
• Polish: minimalizować impf, zminimalizować pf
• Portuguese: minimizar (pt)
• Russian: минимизи́ровать (ru) impf or pf (minimizírovatʹ), своди́ть к ми́нимуму impf (svodítʹ k mínimumu)
• Spanish: minimizar (es), achicar (es)
• Swedish: minimera (sv)
• Thai: ย่อ (th) (yɔ̂ɔ)
• Turkish: azaltmak (tr), cüceleştirmek, küçültmek (tr), asgarīye indirmek, en aza indirgemek, (construction) en aza indirgemek
• Ukrainian: мінімізува́ти impf or pf (minimizuváty)

(computing) to cause a window to disappear

• Armenian: նվազեցնել (hy) (nvazecʻnel)
• Bulgarian: затварям (bg) (zatvarjam)
• Catalan: minimitzar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 最小化 (zh) (zuìxiǎohuà)

• Estonian: ahendama
• Finnish: pienentää (fi)
• French: réduire (fr)
• Galician: minimizar
• German: minimieren (de)
• Japanese: 最小化する (さいしょうかする, saishōka suru)
• Korean: 최소화(最小化)하다 (choesohwahada)
• Latin: abscondo, obscuro (la)
• Maori: whakamōkito
• Portuguese: minimizar (pt)
• Russian: свора́чивать (ru) impf (svoráčivatʹ), сверну́ть (ru) pf (svernútʹ), минимизи́ровать (ru) impf or pf (minimizírovatʹ)
• Spanish: minimizar (es)
• Swedish: dölja (sv), minimera (sv)
• Thai: ย่อ (th) (yɔ̂ɔ)
• Turkish: küçült, simge durumuna küçült

Portuguese

Verb

minimize

1. inflection of minimizar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative