declination

noun

ˌde-klə-ˈnā-shən How to pronounce declination (audio)
Definition of declinationnext
1
as in decline
a change to a lower state or level there's been a declination in basic civility in our society

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in refusal
an unwillingness to grant something asked for congressional declinations of cabinet appointments have been relatively infrequent, most senators believing that the president is entitled to pick his own advisors

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of declination Of the 395 complaints the division received, 306 were resolved through determinations or declinations. — Editorial, Boston Herald, 9 Feb. 2026 Nachmanoff pressed the Justice Department over whether a formal declination memo deciding against charges for Comey exists. — Ella Lee, The Hill, 19 Nov. 2025 Jupiter is currently situated against the stars of Gemini the Twins where the ecliptic — the apparent path of the sun, moon and planets — comes farthest north, at +23 degrees declination. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 8 Nov. 2025 Presenting their findings in a lengthy declination memo, the prosecutors explicitly mentioned the two other investigations to bolster their recommendation that probable cause does not exist to charge Comey, according to sources familiar with the contents of the memo. — Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for declination
Recent Examples of Synonyms for declination
  1. decline
  2. refusal
  3. deterioration
  4. rejection
  5. degradation
  6. denial
  7. descent
Noun
  • Huawei's push into the smartphone market comes as sales in China have slumped this year, with a double-digit decline year-on-year in August and September, according to Counterpoint Research.
    — Matthew Tan,Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The co-CEOs have modeled a cash ramp-up in coming years but meanwhile there’s not a big cushion if churn rises, cable-network declines accelerate, the box office softens again or there’s macroeconomic or geopolitical disruption.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of decline
Noun
  • There are many legitimate reasons to bash Becerra, from his refusal to participate in more debates to his paltry number of public rallies to a platform that sounds like more of what created California’s current woes.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Plus, Swifties saw Swift and Alwyn’s refusal to make joint public appearances as a red flag.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of refusal
Noun
  • But its deterioration is a profound a priori, one that can only be partially forestalled.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The moves come as economic indicators showed months of deterioration, following a disappointing second quarter.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of deterioration
Noun
  • In her rejection of stereotypically female fashion and her flair for the dramatic, Sanjak definitely would have fit in at Le Monocle.
    — Gaby Iori October 7, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026
  • In April, Americans for Financial Reform’s Education Fund released a study stating that the bank’s mortgage rejection rates for minorities in Charlotte and North Carolina far outpaced those of white applicants.
    — Chase Jordan October 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of rejection
Noun
  • Since optical switches aren’t subject to the same amount of degradation as traditional mechanical switches, the representative argued, users won’t need to swap them over time.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026
  • There are also practical questions around battery degradation, consumer compensation, privacy, and who gets to control an asset in someone’s home.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of degradation
Noun
  • The denial comes in a record-breaking year for severe weather in Illinois, which leads the nation with about 212 tornadoes confirmed by the National Weather Service so far this year, according to Pritzker’s office.
    — Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The notice may identify whether the action is a suspension, revocation, denial, or disqualification; cite the statutory or administrative basis for the action; state its effective date; and provide any hearing or petition deadline.
    — Karen Koehler, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of denial
Noun
  • But unlike other Floridians of Cuban descent — including Secretary of State Marco Rubio — Valdes ended up defending Cuba’s socialist revolutionaries and officials who have killed, jailed, tortured, and censored numerous political enemies.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026
  • This allows operators to monitor the aircraft and atmospheric conditions during ascent and descent.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of descent

Browse Nearby Words

declensions
declination
declinations
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Declination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/declination. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on declination

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about declination

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of galore

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All