Synonyms of declined

declined 1 of 2

adjective

as in bowing

bending downward or forward

we awaited our punishment with declined heads

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bowing
• nodding
• bowed
• weeping
• falling
• declining
• descending
• hanging
• dangling
• hung
• sagging
• inclining
• floppy
• drooping
• stooping
• descendant
• pendulous
• suspended
• sinking
• droopy
• pendent
• dipping
• limp
• slumping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rigid
• erect
• upright
• stiff
• elevated
• inflexible
• unbending
• raised
• upraised

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• refused
• rejected
• denied
• ignored
• passed
• withdrew
• vetoed
• dismissed
• disputed
• spurned
• disapproved
• avoided
• nixed
• forbade
• repudiated
• balked (at)
• passed up
• turned down
• threw over
• deselected
• threw out
• reprobated
• rebuffed
• negatived
• overruled
• disdained
• prohibited
• scouted
• turned one's back on
• retracted
• blew off
• scorned
• renounced
• recalled
• proscribed
• revoked
• contradicted
• disavowed
• shot down
• recanted
• forbore
• refuted
• disclaimed
• abstained (from)
• gainsaid
• took back
• refrained (from)
• stuck
• abjured
• rebutted
• backtracked
• bypassed
• detoured
• disagreed (with)
• disowned
• disproved
• negated
• forswore
• disallowed
• reneged
• controverted
• backed off
• backed down
• unsaid

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• accepted
• approved
• agreed (to)
• received
• adopted
• took
• agreed
• tolerated
• welcomed
• swallowed
• embraced
• consented
• selected
• acquiesced
• chose
• condoned
• countenanced
• supported
• acceded
• assented
• espoused
• handpicked

2

as in denied

to be unwilling to grant

declined our request to hold a party

Synonyms & Similar Words

• refused
• denied
• rejected
• withheld
• disapproved
• disallowed
• forbade
• vetoed
• nixed
• prohibited
• restricted
• rebuffed
• kept
• negatived
• banned
• reprobated
• enjoined
• spurned
• proscribed
• checked
• restrained
• repelled
• constrained
• held
• hindered
• curbed
• impeded
• obstructed
• repressed
• balked (at)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• granted
• permitted
• allowed
• let
• provided
• conceded
• gave
• supplied
• afforded
• furnished
• authorized
• commissioned
• licensed
• acquiesced
• agreed (to)
• warranted
• consented (to)
• accorded
• sanctioned
• OK'd
• acceded (to)
• assented (to)
• vouchsafed

3

as in fell

to go to a lower level especially abruptly

new-car sales declined to their lowest level in years

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fell
• plunged
• dipped
• tumbled
• dropped
• plummeted
• decreased
• sank
• skidded
• descended
• lowered
• crashed
• dived
• cratered
• retreated
• diminished
• nose-dived
• subsided
• dwindled
• waned
• died (down)
• ebbed
• lessened
• drooped
• moderated
• abated
• receded
• tapered off
• let up
• de-escalated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rose
• lifted
• arose
• soared
• mounted
• ascended
• increased
• grew
• expanded
• built
• spiked
• upped
• intensified
• accumulated
• escalated
• swelled
• enlarged
• picked up
• waxed
• ballooned
• mushroomed
• burgeoned
• snowballed

4

as in deteriorated

to become worse or of less value

his reputation as a writer began to decline not long after his death

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deteriorated
• worsened
• descended
• crumbled
• diminished
• sank
• ebbed
• degenerated
• fell
• regressed
• devolved
• weakened
• rotted
• retrograded
• atrophied
• decayed
• waned
• dwindled
• sagged
• disintegrated
• receded
• reduced
• went to pot
• slipped
• went to seed
• downsized
• degraded
• soured
• decomposed
• undermined
• failed
• abated
• lessened
• lowered
• dilapidated
• corrupted
• lagged
• languished
• putrefied
• de-escalated
• drooped
• flagged
• spoiled
• debilitated
• wasted (away)
• moldered
• broke down
• ran down
• wilted

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• improved
• upgraded
• ameliorated
• intensified
• enhanced
• proceeded
• developed
• meliorated
• strengthened
• heightened
• enriched
• progressed
• bettered
• fortified
• marched
• advanced

5

as in decreased

to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually

the winds should decline as soon as the cold front passes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• decreased
• diminished
• fell
• subsided
• shrank
• eased
• vanished
• ebbed
• waned
• dwindled
• dropped (off)
• receded
• relented
• lowered
• moderated
• drained (away)
• died (away or down or out)
• lessened
• fell away
• weakened
• tapered
• tapered off
• remitted
• let up
• palled
• abated
• evaporated
• de-escalated
• ratcheted (down)
• racheted (down)
• phased down
• contracted
• compressed
• faded (away)
• melted (away)
• collapsed
• slowed (down)
• condensed
• slackened
• petered (out)
• alleviated
• constricted
• relaxed
• tailed (off)
• gave out
• frittered (away)
• flagged
• sank
• deflated
• caved (in)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• increased
• grew
• rose
• expanded
• built
• intensified
• soared
• accumulated
• mounted
• escalated
• swelled
• enlarged
• appeared
• emerged
• picked up
• waxed
• ballooned
• mushroomed
• burgeoned
• snowballed
• showed up
• lengthened
• blew up
• elongated
• distended

6

as in plunged

to lead or extend downward

the bike path declines toward the riverbank and then follows the river for several miles

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fell
• plunged
• descended
• dropped
• dipped
• sank
• tilted
• leaned
• inclined
• tipped
• listed
• sloped
• angled
• cocked
• slanted
• reclined
• canted
• heeled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rose
• climbed
• arose
• mounted
• ascended
• upturned
• flattened
• straightened
• smoothed
• uprose
• leveled
• planed
• upswept
• evened

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of declined

Verb

The local district attorney declined to seek criminal charges, but the criminal case was reopened after the lawsuit was filed. — Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026

The campaign for the Democratic nominee for governor, David Jolly, declined to comment on what the new opinion meant for the Hope Florida saga. — Liv Caputo, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026

Lorah declined to discuss motive but said investigators would talk to other relatives and examine the cellphones of the women who were killed outside the home. — Jacqueline Ganun, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026

The firms declined a skills test at the outset, so the researchers inferred skill gains from random assignment instead of measuring before and after. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026

Meta has since called on TikTok and YouTube to impose similar safeguards, including by waging an ad campaign that TikTok reportedly declined to share on its platform. — Emma Roth, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026

And since then, their tolerance for a leader’s overreach has noticeably declined. — Thomas Shull, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026

Warsh at the start of the summer declined to say whether rates should rise. — Taylor Millard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2026

Among the documents obtained by the Times also were records showing the district attorney’s office declined to review any additional evidence gathered by the campus police department beyond the six-page statement signed by Doe. — Isa Mudannayake, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026