attenuated
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Reduced in strength, force, or intensity: Describes something that has become weaker or less potent.
- Thinned or slender: Can describe something that has been made thin or slender.
- Of an electrical signal: Specifically refers to a signal whose amplitude has been reduced with minimal or no distortion.
Usage and Examples
- Adjective:
- The attenuated sound of the distant music was barely audible. (The strength of the sound was reduced by distance.)
- After the long illness, his once robust frame appeared attenuated. (His body had become thin and slender.)
- The engineer sent an attenuated signal down the cable to prevent overload. (The electrical signal's amplitude was deliberately reduced.)
Advanced Usage
- Scientific/Medical Context: Often used to describe weakened viruses or bacteria used in vaccines.
- The vaccine uses an attenuated form of the virus to stimulate immunity without causing disease.
- Formal/Literary Context: Used to describe something diminished in intensity or substance.
- His influence in the company became increasingly attenuated after the scandal.
Variants and Related Words
- Attenuate (verb): To reduce the force, effect, or value of; to make thin or slender.
- Filters are used to attenuate unwanted noise.
- Attenuation (noun): The process or state of becoming weaker, thinner, or less intense.
- Signal attenuation is a common problem in long-distance communication.
Synonyms
- Weakened: Made less strong.
- Diminished: Made smaller or less.
- Thinned: Made less dense or more slender.
- Diluted: Reduced in strength by adding another substance.
Antonyms
- Amplified: Increased in strength, especially of sound or electrical signals.
- Intensified: Made stronger or more extreme.
- Concentrated: Increased in strength by reducing volume; made denser.
Notes on Usage
- "Attenuated" vs. "Diluted": While both imply reduction, "attenuated" often refers to a reduction in force, intensity, or thickness without necessarily adding another element. "Diluted" specifically involves adding a solvent or other agent to reduce concentration.
- Technical Precision: In engineering and physics, "attenuated" precisely describes a reduction in signal amplitude, a key concept distinct from other forms of signal degradation like distortion.
Adjective
- reduced in strength
- the faded tones of an old recording
- of an electrical signal; reduced in amplitude with little or no distortion