as in bowing
bending downward or forward
we awaited our punishment with declined heads
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in refused
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to
he declined the invitation to the party she declined to participate in the soccer game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in denied
to be unwilling to grant
declined our request to hold a party
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in fell
to go to a lower level especially abruptly
new-car sales declined to their lowest level in years
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in deteriorated
to become worse or of less value
his reputation as a writer began to decline not long after his death
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in decreased
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually
the winds should decline as soon as the cold front passes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in plunged
to lead or extend downward
the bike path declines toward the riverbank and then follows the river for several miles
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of declined
Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 27 Sep. 2025
Mortgage rates have been coming down, but there has yet to be a spike in homebuying activity—and one leading indicator has even declined.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2025
The justices declined to intervene in 2020 at an earlier stage in her challenge.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 27 Sep. 2025
The Academy declined to comment.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 Sep. 2025
Carchi emphasized that the use of USDT (digital dollars) has grown significantly in countries with currency issues, such as Bolivia, where dollar reserves have declined, and in some Caribbean nations.
—Sonia Osorio, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
Michael Fouraker, executive director of the Fort Worth Zoo and founding president of the IEF, told the Star-Telegram in 2023 that the number of elephants in zoos across the country has also declined.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Sep. 2025
Sacramento launched a nationwide search after the City Council declined to extend former City Manager Howard Chan last December.
—Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 26 Sep. 2025
According to some sources, the Tortured Poets Department singer declined the opportunity.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
The Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office also declined to answer whether deputies assisted in the operation.
—Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 27 Sep. 2025
Mortgage rates have been coming down, but there has yet to be a spike in homebuying activity—and one leading indicator has even declined.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2025
The justices declined to intervene in 2020 at an earlier stage in her challenge.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 27 Sep. 2025
The Academy declined to comment.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 Sep. 2025
Carchi emphasized that the use of USDT (digital dollars) has grown significantly in countries with currency issues, such as Bolivia, where dollar reserves have declined, and in some Caribbean nations.
—Sonia Osorio, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
Michael Fouraker, executive director of the Fort Worth Zoo and founding president of the IEF, told the Star-Telegram in 2023 that the number of elephants in zoos across the country has also declined.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Sep. 2025
Sacramento launched a nationwide search after the City Council declined to extend former City Manager Howard Chan last December.
—Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 26 Sep. 2025
According to some sources, the Tortured Poets Department singer declined the opportunity.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for declined
Verb
-
The parties have been in a standoff for days as Democrats, namely in the Senate, have refused to offer the necessary votes to pass a funding measure that would keep the government open beyond Tuesday.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Even after numerous prompt adjustments and desperate rephrasings, that feeling of the previous weeks’ intimate interactions refused to return.—
Jon Michael Varese,
The Atlantic,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Black delivered that report before the management committee of EXXON, who purposefully buried those conclusions and continued to fund lobbyists, think tanks, and politicians who vociferously denied the reality of anthropogenic climate change.—
Ed Simon
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
-
In 2022, Spacey denied the allegations and was found not liable in a civil trial due to insufficient evidence.—
Kate Hogan,
PEOPLE,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Now imagine he was felled by an assassin’s bullet.—
David M. Drucker,
Twin Cities,
23 Sep. 2025
-
The rebuilding took 1,200 oak trees felled from forests across France to replace the framework of the roof and 1,000 construction workers.—
Jon Haworth,
ABC News,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But internal emails, police reports and interviews with current and former Division of Youth Services staff members show leadership grew increasingly worried as safety conditions deteriorated inside the Golden campus.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The scene deteriorated further when Grosjean failed to emerge from the wreck.—
Saajan Jogia,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Production at the company’s mill grew 124 percent, but carbon emissions and electricity consumption decreased 18 percent, respectively.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
26 Sep. 2025
-
These numbers have since decreased—only 16% live in poverty and 35% of Gen Z are considered low-income as of 2023—but these numbers are still notably higher than those of millennials, Gen Xers and baby boomers.—
Ashleigh N. DeLuca,
Parents,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
That’s as crop prices have plunged from their 2022 peak, while production costs remain near record highs.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Notably, in July, India began issuing tourist visas for Chinese citizens for the first time in five years—marking a significant thawing in relations after a deadly clash in 2020 along their border in the western Himalayas plunged relations to their lowest point in decades.—
Suzanne Rowan Kelleher,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head.—
Aylin Woodward,
WSJ,
21 Dec. 2021
Verb
-
At the time, Bailey denied claims that the film was initially rejected due to censorship but rather footage clearance and security concerns.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
27 Sep. 2025
-
But his grades had been mediocre, and he was rejected right and left, which neither fazed nor surprised him.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
27 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Declined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/declined. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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