retrenchment

Definitions

The reduction of costs or spending in response to economic difficulty.

The act of cutting down, shortening, or removing something.

A defensive fortification constructed behind another, primary defensive line.

Examples

The company announced a period of severe retrenchment to cope with the economic downturn.

Many employees feared that the new budget cuts would lead to widespread retrenchment across the department.

Synonyms

curtailment reduction austerity downsizing cutback retrenching diminishment

Antonyms

expansion growth augmentation development enlargement increase proliferation