as in bowing
bending downward or forward
we awaited our punishment with declined heads
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in denied
to be unwilling to grant
declined our request to hold a party
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of declined
Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 21 June 2026
Starmer's popularity has also declined amid a persistently high cost of living, sluggish economic growth and criticism over his acceptance of gifts from wealthy donors.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 21 June 2026
The driver of the pickup suffered minor injuries and declined the offer to be transported to a nearby hospital.
—Cbs Baltimore Staff, CBS News, 21 June 2026
The White House has declined to comment on Sheinbaum’s criticism.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026
While Michaud declined to name the owner for privacy reasons, property records and reports link the seaside estate with a prominent television broadcast executive and newspaper owner.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 20 June 2026
The National Labor Relations Board declined jurisdiction on narrow grounds, warning that allowing one private-school team to unionize while most FBS programs were public universities could create instability.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2026
Netflix declined to comment on Banks’ suit when contacted by Deadline.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 13 June 2026
Anthropic declined to comment beyond its blog post.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 13 June 2026
Verb
The Dadar Parsi Colony Gymkhana declined to comment because the matter is before the courts.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 21 June 2026
Starmer's popularity has also declined amid a persistently high cost of living, sluggish economic growth and criticism over his acceptance of gifts from wealthy donors.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 21 June 2026
The driver of the pickup suffered minor injuries and declined the offer to be transported to a nearby hospital.
—Cbs Baltimore Staff, CBS News, 21 June 2026
The White House has declined to comment on Sheinbaum’s criticism.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026
While Michaud declined to name the owner for privacy reasons, property records and reports link the seaside estate with a prominent television broadcast executive and newspaper owner.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 20 June 2026
The National Labor Relations Board declined jurisdiction on narrow grounds, warning that allowing one private-school team to unionize while most FBS programs were public universities could create instability.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2026
Netflix declined to comment on Banks’ suit when contacted by Deadline.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 13 June 2026
Anthropic declined to comment beyond its blog post.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 13 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for declined
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
Verb
-
One, Sam Hentges, apparently refused to wear it at all, appearing in the traditional cap the Giants wear the other 161 games.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
-
Sojourner Truth refused to be defined by the stereotypes society tried to construct about her.—
Jocelyn Frye,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
The guilty plea was a stunning reversal for Heuermann who, according to his lawyer, tearfully denied being responsible for the killings after his arrest in 2023.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
-
The court filings said that Roa denied any involvement in the conspiracy.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Aalto University / Mahdi Asgari History is filled with stories of the great being felled by the puny.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
19 June 2026
-
And those are the lucky ones, who weren’t felled by late-season injuries and bumped from the tournament the way Brazil’s Rodrygo, Japan’s Kaoru Mitoma and Germany’s Serge Gnabry were.—
Luke Cyphers,
Sportico.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
The Downfall and Freefall documentaries argue that Boeing’s company culture deteriorated as company execs prioritized profits and a rising share price over safety.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
19 June 2026
-
By 2024, his health had deteriorated to the point of requiring continuous oxygen, leading to his evaluation for a groundbreaking dual-organ transplant under the HOPE Act.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
Crime in the 21207 zip code area has decreased within the last year, according to data from the Baltimore County Public Safety Data Dashboard.—
CBS Baltimore Staff,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
-
Parents should quickly seek medical care for an infant who has difficulty swallowing, poor feeding, loss of head control or decreased facial expression, the CDC said.—
Melody Petersen,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Scene of a fatal crash and fire on Interstate Highway 280 after a vehicle plunged off the 18th Street overpass in San Francisco, June 12, 2026.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
-
Severe storms and tornadoes that tore through the Midwest on June 11 left one person dead, downed trees and plunged thousands into darkness with power outages.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
With bowed heads, friends and classmates wrapped their arms around each other.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Instead of your standard dress shoes, Styles finished the look with a perfect pair of minty-green ballet flats with bowed laces.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
2 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Declined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/declined. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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