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[This site](https://sptt-latin-subjunctive.blogspot.be/2015/09/to-decrease-
more-and-more.html) tries to explain that but I don't understand very well
since it's in japanese and I don't find anything in english.
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2018-04-15T19:08:50.890
57955
2018-04-17T09:00:44.250
2018-04-16T08:37:13.020
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question
usage
How to use correctly ますます with a reduction in quantity or intensity?
Simply, ますます can mean "more and more" or "less and less" depending on the verb
it's used with. If you make it modify a verb that describes "reduction in
quantity or intensity", then you'll get the effect closer to "less and less"
or "decreasingly".

>   * 風はますます強くなった。 stronger and stronger
>   * 風はますます弱くなった。 weaker and weaker (or less and less strong)
>   * 値段がますます上がった。 more and more expensive
>   * 値段がますます下がった。 cheaper and cheaper (or less and less expensive)
>   * 部屋をますます美しくする。 more and more beautiful
>   * 部屋をますます汚くする。 dirtier and dirtier
>

Although uncommon and potentially puzzling, You can use ますます with a negative
expression using ない:

>   * ますます元気になった。 more and more energetic
>   * ますます元気でなくなった。 less and less energetic
>   * ますます痛くなった。 more and more painful
>   * ますます痛くなくなった。 less and less painful
>

Note that "ますます良くなくなっている" is not the same as "ますます悪くなっている". The former means
something was good at first but it's becoming less and less good, whereas the
latter means something was already bad at first and it's getting worse and
worse. (Usually something more concise like 良さがますます失われている is better for the
former sense, anyway)

* * *

The Japanese article you linked says expressions like ますます減る and ますます低くなる are
weird because ますます should be etymologically 増す増す. However, I think the author
is overthinking. While I guess "to decrease increasingly" is puzzling in
English, ますます減る seems totally fine to me, and BCCWJ actually has 5 examples of
ますます減る/ますます減少する. (The author then says the Japanese grammar [lacks the
equivalent of "less" or "least" in
English](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/43581/5010), which is true.
Anyway ますます covers the meaning of "less and less", so this shouldn't be a big
problem.)
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2018-04-17T03:26:49.060
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2018-04-17T09:00:44.250
2018-04-17T09:00:44.250
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answer