Synonyms of decline

decline 1 of 2

verb

di-ˈklīn 

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

• refuse
• reject
• ignore
• deny
• avoid
• dismiss
• withdraw
• dispute
• pass
• disapprove
• spurn
• pass up
• turn down
• balk (at)
• veto
• negative
• repudiate
• throw over
• throw out
• forbid
• deselect
• reprobate
• nix
• disdain
• blow off
• rebuff
• overrule
• prohibit
• turn one's back on
• renounce
• shoot down
• scout
• take back
• recall
• proscribe
• abstain (from)
• scorn
• refrain (from)
• revoke
• retract
• disavow
• forbear
• gainsay
• refute
• contradict
• disagree (with)
• recant
• disclaim
• abjure
• forswear
• disprove
• negate
• stick
• bypass
• disown
• detour
• back down
• disallow
• rebut
• controvert
• renege
• backtrack
• back off
• unsay

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• accept
• agree (to)
• approve
• tolerate
• receive
• take
• adopt
• swallow
• welcome
• embrace
• condone
• agree
• acquiesce
• choose
• countenance
• accede
• consent
• select
• support
• assent
• espouse
• handpick

2

as in to deny

to be unwilling to grant

declined our request to hold a party

Synonyms & Similar Words

• refuse
• deny
• reject
• disapprove
• withhold
• negative
• disallow
• forbid
• veto
• prohibit
• ban
• restrict
• keep
• reprobate
• enjoin
• restrain
• nix
• proscribe
• curb
• check
• spurn
• impede
• hinder
• rebuff
• repel
• hold
• constrain
• balk (at)
• repress
• obstruct

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• permit
• let
• grant
• allow
• supply
• provide
• concede
• afford
• give
• furnish
• OK
• authorize
• agree (to)
• license
• warrant
• consent (to)
• acquiesce
• sanction
• commission
• accede (to)
• assent (to)
• accord
• vouchsafe

3

as in to fall

to go to a lower level especially abruptly

new-car sales declined to their lowest level in years

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fall
• plunge
• dip
• tumble
• drop
• plummet
• decrease
• skid
• sink
• descend
• crash
• lower
• dive
• diminish
• nose-dive
• retreat
• die (down)
• subside
• dwindle
• moderate
• wane
• crater
• ebb
• taper off
• lessen
• droop
• abate
• let up
• recede
• de-escalate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rise
• arise
• lift
• increase
• ascend
• soar
• mount
• grow
• build
• spike
• expand
• intensify
• accumulate
• swell
• enlarge
• escalate
• up
• pick up
• wax
• snowball
• mushroom
• burgeon
• balloon

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deteriorate
• crumble
• worsen
• descend
• diminish
• decay
• atrophy
• degenerate
• regress
• ebb
• rot
• devolve
• sink
• retrograde
• weaken
• fall
• disintegrate
• sag
• wane
• dwindle
• go to pot
• go to seed
• reduce
• recede
• downsize
• slip
• degrade
• decompose
• abate
• undermine
• sour
• dilapidate
• corrupt
• putrefy
• lessen
• lower
• fail
• spoil
• debilitate
• lag
• waste (away)
• languish
• break down
• droop
• wilt
• run down
• molder
• de-escalate
• flag

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• improve
• better
• ameliorate
• upgrade
• enhance
• intensify
• strengthen
• proceed
• develop
• meliorate
• heighten
• progress
• enrich
• advance
• fortify
• march

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• decrease
• diminish
• subside
• fall
• shrink
• ease
• vanish
• ebb
• moderate
• wane
• dwindle
• drop (off)
• recede
• fall away
• drain (away)
• die (away or down or out)
• taper off
• taper
• lower
• lessen
• remit
• pall
• weaken
• relent
• let up
• abate
• evaporate
• collapse
• ratchet (down)
• phase down
• rachet (down)
• de-escalate
• tail (off)
• fade (away)
• contract
• slow (down)
• compress
• alleviate
• melt (away)
• relax
• peter (out)
• constrict
• slacken
• condense
• give out
• fritter (away)
• cave (in)
• sink
• deflate
• flag

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• increase
• rise
• grow
• build
• expand
• intensify
• accumulate
• swell
• escalate
• enlarge
• soar
• mount
• pick up
• appear
• emerge
• wax
• show up
• snowball
• mushroom
• balloon
• burgeon
• lengthen
• blow up
• elongate
• distend

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fall
• plunge
• descend
• slope
• drop
• dip
• sink
• lean
• tilt
• incline
• tip
• angle
• list
• cant
• heel
• recline
• slant
• cock

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rise
• arise
• climb
• ascend
• mount
• upturn
• plane
• uprise
• upsweep
• straighten
• flatten
• even
• level
• smooth

decline

2 of 2

noun

di-ˈklīn 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deterioration
• weakening
• decay
• decaying
• degeneration
• exhaustion
• declension
• debilitation
• enfeeblement
• ebbing
• descent
• atrophy
• regression
• setback
• relapse
• flagging
• drooping
• limping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• improvement
• recovery
• rehabilitation
• revitalization
• comeback
• rally
• recuperation
• progress
• strengthening
• snapback
• invigoration
• rejuvenation
• rejuvenescence

2

as in declination

a change to a lower state or level

the decline of the Roman Empire

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deterioration
• declination
• degradation
• decrease
• descent
• downfall
• decadence
• fall
• ebb
• degeneration
• reduction
• eclipse
• downgrade
• devolution
• destruction
• degeneracy
• declension
• drop
• decay
• dégringolade
• dissolution
• loss
• dip
• disintegration
• decomposition
• breakup
• slump
• dark age
• crumbling
• sunset
• nadir
• depreciation
• rotting
• debasement
• downturn
• diminution
• spoiling
• shrinkage
• lowering
• decimation
• diminishment
• lessening
• falloff
• ruination
• drop-off
• deflation
• abasement
• demolition
• decrement
• ruin
• sag
• slip
• downslide
• havoc
• downtrend
• abatement
• demolishment
• desolation
• de-escalation

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rise
• growth
• development
• evolution
• ascent
• advancement
• upswing
• flowering
• increase
• restoration
• renewal
• revitalization
• addition
• gain
• enhancement
• flourishing
• blossoming
• increment
• boost
• raise
• augmentation
• supplement
• accrual
• accretion
• heightening
• addendum

3

as in downhill

a downward slope

the bicyclist lost control on the unexpectedly steep decline

Synonyms & Similar Words

• downhill
• dip
• fall
• descent
• downgrade
• hanging
• depression
• declension
• declivity
• hang
• basin
• hollow

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rise
• ascent
• upgrade
• uphill
• grade
• gradient
• inclination
• hill
• uprise
• incline
• pitch
• acclivity
• lean
• tilt
• rake
• glacis

4

as in demise

a loss of status

the engagement at the small club was an unmistakable sign of the rock band's decline

Synonyms & Similar Words

• demise
• down
• downfall
• setback
• fall
• collapse
• reversal
• disappointment
• comedown
• breakdown
• dégringolade
• defeat
• flameout
• descent
• crash
• undoing
• meltdown
• burnout
• ruin
• humiliation
• Götterdämmerung
• nadir
• disgrace
• abasement
• bottom

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rise
• up
• progress
• advance
• ascent
• headway
• exaltation
• aggrandizement
• flower
• prime
• heyday

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• decrease
• reduction
• drop
• dent
• depletion
• diminution
• loss
• shrinkage
• decrement
• slump
• fall
• depression
• falloff
• diminishment
• abatement
• drop-off
• step-down
• subtraction
• downturn
• deduction
• cut
• slip
• cutback
• curtailment
• shortening
• retrenchment

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• increase
• rise
• gain
• increment
• enlargement
• boost
• raise
• addition
• accumulation
• supplement
• continuation
• extension
• uptick
• accrual
• accretion
• step-up
• upturn
• upswing
• uptrend

Synonym Chooser

How is the word decline different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of decline are refuse, reject, repudiate, and spurn. While all these words 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

When might refuse be a better fit than decline?

While in some cases nearly identical to decline, refuse suggests more positiveness or ungraciousness and often implies the denial of something asked for.

refused to lend them the money

When would reject be a good substitute for decline?

The words reject and decline can be used in similar contexts, but reject implies a peremptory refusal by sending away or discarding.

rejected the manuscript as unpublishable

When is it sensible to use repudiate instead of decline?

The synonyms repudiate and decline are sometimes interchangeable, but repudiate implies a casting off or disowning as untrue, unauthorized, or unworthy of acceptance.

teenagers who repudiate the values of their parents

Where would spurn be a reasonable alternative to decline?

While the synonyms spurn and decline are close in meaning, spurn stresses contempt or disdain in rejection or repudiation.

spurned his overtures of friendship

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of decline

Verb

The Times shared the historians’ observations with the White House, which declined to comment on the specific points in the annotations. —New York Times, 11 June 2026

Our natural collagen production declines from our mid-20s. —Ellie Davis, Vogue, 11 June 2026

Noun

Beijing and Moscow are asserting themselves in the belief that America is on the decline. —Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026

While a small decline can be adaptive, dads face mental health risks when their testosterone drops too low. —Keith Wagstaff, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026