1
as in to refuse
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to deny
to be unwilling to grant
declined our request to hold a party
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3
as in to fall
to go to a lower level especially abruptly
new-car sales declined to their lowest level in years
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4
as in to deteriorate
to become worse or of less value
his reputation as a writer began to decline not long after his death
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5
as in to decrease
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually
the winds should decline as soon as the cold front passes
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6
as in to plunge
to lead or extend downward
the bike path declines toward the riverbank and then follows the river for several miles
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1
as in deterioration
a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body
her sad decline from a robust athlete to an old woman with arthritis
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2
as in declination
a change to a lower state or level
the decline of the Roman Empire
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3
as in downhill
a downward slope
the bicyclist lost control on the unexpectedly steep decline
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4
as in demise
a loss of status
the engagement at the small club was an unmistakable sign of the rock band's decline
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5
as in decrease
the amount by which something is lessened
a huge decline in the value of the artwork after its authenticity was questioned
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of decline
Luke Smith, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
The Vatican has also declined to join the board.
—Mariam Khan, ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 18 Feb. 2026
Notably, Democrats did not see a similar decline after their first loss to Trump in 2016.
—Linley Sanders, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decline
Verb
There has been no mandate from the FIA that teams must use the new fuels through preseason, and a Mercedes spokesperson declined to reveal what type of fuel the team had been using at testing beyond it being supplied by Petronas.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
The Vatican has also declined to join the board.
—Mariam Khan, ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
Noun
That impetus brought Lance Hammer back out of the woodwork, a gauntlet thrown to himself to think through problematic contradictions involving the quite different — and often sparring — human verticals of capability, autonomy, and decline.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 18 Feb. 2026
Notably, Democrats did not see a similar decline after their first loss to Trump in 2016.
—Linley Sanders, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decline
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decline
Verb
-
Like Social Security and Medicare reform and the massive national debt, which is at $38 trillion and counting because Washington refuses to cut spending, despite record amounts of revenue flooding into the Treasury.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
-
She is known for her perfectly coiffed buns; my baby hairs, on the other hand, refuse to fall in line.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Recent requests had similarly been made and denied to honor Charlie Kirk, the slain conservative activist, and former Vice President Dick Cheney.—
MATT BROWN,
Arkansas Online,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The Pentagon has denied these allegations.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Tigers, particularly Mark Mitchell, put in a strong effort but fell short in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in a 94-86 loss.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Pielmeier expects the conditions to subside in much of Switzerland over the course of next week, once the new snow has stabilized, except in the south of the country where less snow has fallen.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As her vision deteriorates, Penny turns to psychoanalysis not in hopes of reversing her condition, but to confront years of denial and silence.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Common findings from sewer scopes include root intrusion at joints (especially common in clay pipes), belly or sag in the line where water pools, cracked or offset joints, and deteriorated Orangeburg sections.—
Allison Palmer
Updated February 19,
Kansas City Star,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Some research has linked magnesium to decreased depression and anxiety, both of which can affect sleep.—
Heather Jones,
Verywell Health,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The deliberate, repetitive action is found to help lower blood pressure, decrease symptoms of depression and even protect aging brains from cognitive decline.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But since then, Reuters recently reported, cocoa prices have plunged by 70 percent due to falling demand and because candy makers have developed alternatives to chocolate.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Since October last year, Russia has intensified its drone and missile attacks on the Ukrainian energy system, knocking out electricity and heat and plunging millions of Ukrainians into long blackouts during bitterly cold winter temperatures.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Avalanches are rapid, massive slides of snow, ice, rock and soil that can be caused by storms, earthquakes or snowpack deterioration.—
Ramon Padilla,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
-
With Amazon Web Services (AWS), advertising and logistics automation continuing to scale, Amazon’s recent weakness appears to reflect sentiment fatigue rather than a deterioration in business quality.—
Tony Zhang,
CNBC,
18 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
Cite this Entry
“Decline.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decline. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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