Reduced in importance, value, or proportion, especially in a portfolio or ranking system; given less weight relative to other components.
Past participle of 'downweight' (itself from 'down' plus 'weight'). Emerged in investment and data science contexts where relative weighting matters.
Machine learning and algorithms often 'downweight' certain variables to improve predictions—it's mathematical prejudice in service of accuracy. The word hints at how much modern decisions are made by invisible mathematical processes.
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