diminishing returns

diminishing returns
I. noun plural
: a rate of yield that at a certain point fails to increase in proportion to additional investments of labor or capital — see law of diminishing returns
II. noun plural
: benefits that beyond a certain point fail to increase in proportion to extended efforts

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1. any rate of profit, production, benefits, etc., that beyond a certain point fails to increase proportionately with added investment, effort, or skill.
2. Also called law of diminishing returns. Econ. the fact, often stated as a law or principle, that when any factor of production, as labor, is increased while other factors, as capital and land, are held constant in amount, the output per unit of the variable factor will eventually diminish.
[1805-15]

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diminishing returns UK [dɪˌmɪnɪʃɪŋ rɪˈtɜː(r)nz] US [dɪˌmɪnɪʃɪŋ rɪˈtɜrnz] noun [plural] business
a situation in which benefits or profits do not increase enough to make it worth making more effort or spending more money
Thesaurus: not providing profitsynonym

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(the law of) diminishing returns
used to refer to a point at which the level of profits or benefits gained is less than the amount of money or energy invested

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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