Main Entry:

¹de·cline

Pronunciation:

\di-ˈklīn, dē-\

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

de·clined; de·clin·ing

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French decliner, from Latin declinare to turn aside, inflect, from de- + clinare to incline — more at lean

Date:

14th century

intransitive verb1archaic : to turn from a straight course : stray2 a: to slope downward : descend b: to bend down : droop c: to stoop to what is unworthy3 aof a celestial body : to sink toward setting b: to draw toward a close : wane <the day declined>4: to tend toward an inferior state or weaker condition <his health declined> <morale declined>5: to withhold consent6: to become less in amount <prices declined>transitive verb1: to give in prescribed order the grammatical forms of (a noun, pronoun, or adjective)2obsolete a: avert b: avoid3: to cause to bend or bow downward4 a: to refuse to undertake, undergo, engage in, or comply with <decline battle> b: to refuse especially courteously <decline an invitation>

— de·clin·able \-ˈklī-nə-bəl\ adjective

— de·clin·er \-ˈklī-nər\ noun

synonyms decline, refuse, reject, repudiate, spurn mean to turn away by not accepting, receiving, or considering. decline often implies courteous refusal especially of offers or invitations <declined his party's nomination>. refuse suggests more positiveness or ungraciousness and often implies the denial of something asked for <refused to lend them the money>. reject implies a peremptory refusal by sending away or discarding <rejected the manuscript as unpublishable>. repudiate implies a casting off or disowning as untrue, unauthorized, or unworthy of acceptance <teenagers who repudiate the values of their parents>. spurn stresses contempt or disdain in rejection or repudiation <spurned his overtures of friendship>.