whittling

noun

whit·​tling ˈ(h)wi-tᵊl-iŋ 

ˈ(h)wit-liŋ

1

: the act or art of whittling

2

: a piece cut away in whittling

Examples of whittling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

From the outset of his administration, the gravest danger was always going to be his vision of an imperial presidency and the whittling away of the checks and balances and autonomous institutions that a generation of Mexicans painstakingly spent several decades building. —Arturo Sarukhan, Foreign Affairs, 18 Feb. 2022

That’s the logic of this video: a whittling down—first, the masses singing along in one oceanic voice, then smaller groupings suggesting home. —Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 11 July 2024

But the death of this institution could come in another way – the whittling away of public spaces, the closing of doors to local authors, and the end to partnerships like the Pen and Podium series. —The Denver Post Editorial Board, The Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2024

My colleague at Commentary magazine, Abe Greenwald, points out that the past three and a half years have seen a whittling away of the arguments Biden used against Trump. —Matthew Continetti, National Review, 4 May 2024

The tools are sturdy and sharp: there are two blades sharp enough for sawing, a pocketknife perfect for whittling, and two sharp scissors. —Barbara Bellesi Zito, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2023

What is underemphasized, as a result, is the degree to which Birgitte’s concerns about her family and her appearance are intertwined with her fears about the whittling away of her legacy as Denmark’s first female Prime Minister, thanks to Signe, her younger, more social-media-savvy successor. —Kylie Warner, The New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2022

But with Tya, there is no whittling. —Melanie Fine, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2022

The whittling of the line between the listener and the protagonist’s interiority is the central mechanic of the piece, one that Kim and Iskra sought to realize by leaning hard on binaural recording. —Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 22 June 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined at sense 1