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 verb 1 archaic : to turn from a straight course : stray
2 a : to slope downward : descend b : to bend down : droop c : to stoop to what is unworthy
3 a of 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 consent
6 : to become less in amount <prices declined>transitive verb 1 : to give in prescribed order the grammatical forms of (a noun, pronoun, or adjective)
2 obsolete a : avert b : avoid
3 : to cause to bend or bow downward
4 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>.