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
-
Han’s overarching argument is that the deterioration of our social fabric is due to ritual evaporating from everyday life.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
-
While virtually every major project targets South Beach, deterioration has begun in Normandy Isle, to the north.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Of the 395 complaints the division received, 306 were resolved through determinations or declinations.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Italian, who returned from a broken left leg just before the Milan Cortina Games and then won gold in super-G and giant slalom, skipped Friday's downhill and seemed to struggle with landing the many jumps in the course.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The World Cup continues with two downhills and a super-G in Italy next weekend.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The state is seeing a weakening of its oil industry, and increasing challenges for its refineries to remain open due to environmental concerns, according to a Daily Breeze report on Monday, March 2.—
Pat Maio,
Oc Register,
3 Mar. 2026
-
But independent decisions the groups have made so far to stay clear of the conflict are a sign of the overall weakening of Iran’s network.—
Adam Geller,
Fortune,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Canada is the largest source of international tourism to Las Vegas, and the decline of these tourists is a significant blow to the city.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Growth in enterprise networking, broadband, and server storage revenues were offset by the seasonal decline in wireless (as is the case following the launch of an iPhone given that the component orders are placed ahead of the launch).—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Part of the recent draft dip is certainly related to name, image and likeness money.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
This hearty dish is a more substantial version of classic Buffalo chicken dip.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The subsurface storage reserve acts as the ultimate shock absorber against price spike and the decay of petroleum reserves due to poorly managed well shut-in during crisis.—
Siddharth Misra,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The creation of a tiny black hole would only lead to its immediate decay.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The result has been a rapid and systematic degradation of Iran’s clout across the Middle East over the past 2½ years, a seismic change that led directly to this weekend’s devastating attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel.—
Adam Geller,
Fortune,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Aquatic plants, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, and other wildlife are harmed by water quality degradation from road salt treatments, which have further impacts on the local ecosystem (and human health, when our water supply gets saltier).—
Miri Talabac,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Declension.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/declension. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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