Antonyms of verb maximize

1 of 2 senses of maximize

Sense 1
maximize, maximise -- (make as big or large as possible; "Maximize your profits!")
       Antonym of minimize (Sense 1)
      => minimize, minimise -- (make small or insignificant; "Let's minimize the risk")

Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb maximize

2 senses of maximize

Sense 1
maximize, maximise -- (make as big or large as possible; "Maximize your profits!")
       => increase -- (make bigger or more; "The boss finally increased her salary"; "The university increased the number of students it admitted")

Sense 2
maximize, maximise -- (make the most of; "He maximized his role")
       => exploit, tap -- (draw from; make good use of; "we must exploit the resources we are given wisely")