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

Police initially declined to share details about the victim beyond his age and gender to The Times on Thursday night. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 3 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

From September 2025 through August 2026, big-ticket renovation categories declined in a range of 10% to 28% at Home Depot and Lowe’s compared with the prior year, according to Datavations. — Kevin Williams, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026

Residents have reported hundreds of them, but researchers declined to give a death toll, saying that would become clear after the season ends around late November. — ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026

Harry is allegedly working on a Netflix documentary about Princess Diana’s tragic death tied to the 30th anniversary, and Diana’s sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, have declined to participate in the project. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 26 Sep. 2026

Marcos del Mazo / LightRocket via Getty Images Duro also said an anonymous individual had offered to cover the rent payments, but the landlord declined to sign a new lease. — Jamie Gray, NBC news, 26 Sep. 2026

The other four networks in the rotation — CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox — declined to replace CNN, suspending coverage for most of the week, an act of protest that meant a dearth of video images from the White House. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026