This is the 14108th most frequent German word.
geschmälert
"Geschmälert" means "diminished" or "reduced" in English.
Here, 'geschmälert' is used to describe the reduction in intensity of the joy due to the bad news.
Die Freude wurde durch die schlechte Nachricht geschmälert.
The joy was diminished by the bad news.
In this sentence, 'geschmälert' illustrates how the criticism reduced his interest or enthusiasm towards the project.
Sein Interesse am Projekt war durch die Kritik geschmälert.
His interest in the project was diminished by the criticism.
Here, 'geschmälert' indicates that the difficult circumstances did not negatively affect the quality or level of her performance.