1
as in deterioration
a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body
a noticeable declension of the fitness of the baseball players over the winter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in declination
a change to a lower state or level
a declension in her acting career from leading roles to cameos eventually
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in downhill
a downward slope
from this region to the seacoast there's a gentle declension of the landscape
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of declension
That’s the whole exhibition, and anyone who was expecting this to be a Netflix declension of the Degenerate Art Show, with poor patriarchal Picasso as ritualized scapegoat, can rest easy.
—
Jason Farago, New York Times, 1 June 2023
Haidt follows the same tired declension narrative that his rhetorical forebearers did.
—Vicki Phillips, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2023
One time, when Joyce was memorizing Latin declension, Bill Bradley of the Knicks took notice.
—Katherine Fitzgerald, The Arizona Republic, 18 July 2021
The same time span felt faster, like an explosion rather than like a declension.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 7 June 2021
Gender plays an integral role in many languages, from nouns assigned to a specific gender to adjectives changing their declensions based on the noun being described.
—Madhvi Ramani, Smithsonian, 28 Feb. 2018
Jason Farago, New York Times, 1 June 2023
Haidt follows the same tired declension narrative that his rhetorical forebearers did.
—Vicki Phillips, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2023
One time, when Joyce was memorizing Latin declension, Bill Bradley of the Knicks took notice.
—Katherine Fitzgerald, The Arizona Republic, 18 July 2021
The same time span felt faster, like an explosion rather than like a declension.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 7 June 2021
Gender plays an integral role in many languages, from nouns assigned to a specific gender to adjectives changing their declensions based on the noun being described.
—Madhvi Ramani, Smithsonian, 28 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for declension
Noun
-
The aim wasn’t a knockout, but the gradual deterioration of San Antonio.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
5 May 2026
-
Mayor Gloria’s egregious record of reckless spending has contributed to the steady deterioration of our city’s fiscal and civic health.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
The declinations came as the DOJ reassigned and cut prosecutors working on environmental cases.—
Ken B. Morales,
ProPublica,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Federal regulations require special counsels to provide the attorney general with a report that explain prosecution or declination decisions once their work is concluded.—
Jacob Rosen,
CBS News,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Johnson, Shiffrin’s partner and the gold medalist in the downhill, had staked her to a narrow lead.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
-
His excellent size-speed combination, and aggressive downhill style creates disruption and turnover chances.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Speaking in Russia’s State Duma (parliament) last week, Zyuganov warned the country could face a Bolshevik-style revolution if the government fails to address the weakening economy.—
Zahra Ullah,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
-
Also, the evidence points to a weakening of the AMOC, but not a complete collapse.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
An earlier study, published in the American Economic Journal, found that field-office closures led to a sixteen-per-cent decline in disability recipients in the surrounding areas.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
-
The clues are all in his writing, the structure of the sentence, the tracking of it, the fast decline into being inebriated.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
My daily ritual was waking up early and walking less than three minutes down to the beach for a morning dip and to watch world-class surfers tackle the break.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 May 2026
-
Guests can also add chips to their orders with either salsa, guacamole, QDOBA’s signature three-cheese queso dip or its spicy version, the Queso Diablo.—
Katelyn Umholtz,
Kansas City Star,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Decadence is sensuality and impotence, opulence and decay.—
Olivia Kan-Sperling,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
-
The human brain’s neurons experience similar modes of decay, and so, too, do our downstream behaviors.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
But the Longwood bear’s girth illustrates both the natural world’s resilience and its degradation.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
-
However, the degradation efficiency of individual Bacillus strain and the single-enzyme system remains limited.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Declension.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/declension. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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