declined 1 of 2

adjective

as in bowing
bending downward or forward we awaited our punishment with declined heads

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

declined

2 of 2

verb

past tense of decline
1
as in refused
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in denied
to be unwilling to grant declined our request to hold a party

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in fell
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 deteriorated
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 decreased
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 plunged
to lead or extend downward the bike path declines toward the riverbank and then follows the river for several miles

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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 declined
Verb
But Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, widely viewed as a potential top contender for the position, has declined to pledge not to run. — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026 Aguilar declined to take the rest of the day off but then activated the fire alarm system after the meeting and tried to leave the building. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026 But Doe remained on campus after the university declined to refund her tuition, Giuffra said of his client. — Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026 As Houthi forces took control of more land and roads surrounding Taiz, residents’ access to nearby wells was cut off and deliveries of water from outside the city declined. — ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026 An Essex County grand jury declined to indict Krentcil in February 2013, and the charges were dropped. — Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026 The Prime Minister’s office declined to comment for this story. — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026 Authorities declined to say how many former fighters had signed up. — Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026 Parton’s nephew and Fencebridge’s chief executive officer, Seaver, declined to comment for this story. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for declined
  1. nodding
  2. refused
  3. denied
  4. fell
  5. deteriorated
  6. decreased
  7. plunged
  8. weeping
Adjective
  • James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head.
    — Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021
Definition of nodding
Verb
  • Faubus refused to remove the Arkansas National Guard and allow the Little Rock Nine to matriculate at the school.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The race to represent Montana in the upper chamber had long been viewed as Alme’s to lose, after both Bodnar and Bankhead refused to drop out in order to consolidate the Democratic vote.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of refused
Verb
  • Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have denied having any involvement in his campaign.
    — Dan Mangan, CNBC, 1 Nov. 2026
  • The 30-year-old Williams couldn’t be denied opening the fourth quarter, immediately knocking down a pull-up jumper to extend the lead.
    — Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of denied
Verb
  • Collins faces Democrat Troy Jackson, a former Maine Senate leader who stepped in to the race after scandals felled nominee Graham Platner in July.
    — Justin Papp,Caleigh Keating,Garrett Downs,Kevin Breuninger,Dan Mangan, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2026
  • In the postwar decades, humans seized ecosystems at breakneck speed—forests were felled, prairies plowed, wetlands drained.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of fell
Verb
  • The restoration team replaced the building’s roof and windows, which had deteriorated over years of neglect.
    — Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The dominance of drone warfare in this conflict makes aboveground travel extremely dangerous, and services and supplies have deteriorated sharply since May.
    — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of deteriorated
Verb
  • In Iowa, for example, MercyOne Clinton Medical Center ended labor and delivery services earlier this year, citing decreased Medicaid funding as part of the reason.
    — Rachel Cohen Booth, Vox, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Their systolic and diastolic blood pressure (which measures pressure when the heart relaxes) both decreased.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of decreased
Verb
  • Bottoms defeated Rick Jackson, a billionaire who plunged more than $200 million of his own money into the race.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Nov. 2026
  • SpaceX and Tesla, both engaged in the AI and data center businesses, plunged around 5% in early Wednesday trading.
    — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of plunged
Adjective
  • And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.
    — David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
  • The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.
    — Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021
Definition of weeping

Browse Nearby Words

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declined
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Cite this Entry

“Declined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/declined. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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