DECLINING Synonyms: 355 Similar and Opposite Words

declining 1 of 3

adjective

di-ˈklī-niŋ

Definition of declining next

as in bowing

bending downward or forward the declining flowers perked up with the gentle rainfall

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declining

2 of 3

noun

as in decline

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declining

3 of 3

verb

present participle of decline

as in refusing

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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as in denying

to be unwilling to grant declined our request to hold a party

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as in falling

to go to a lower level especially abruptly new-car sales declined to their lowest level in years

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as in deteriorating

to become worse or of less value his reputation as a writer began to decline not long after his death

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as in decreasing

to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually the winds should decline as soon as the cold front passes

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as in plunging

to lead or extend downward the bike path declines toward the riverbank and then follows the river for several miles

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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 declining

Adjective

While pruning, remove any winter damage, along with dead and declining growths, to allow new shoots to reform the plant. —

Tom MacCubbin, orlandosentinel.com, 6 Mar. 2021 In order to reopen, counties must demonstrate declining prevalence of COVID-19, testing ability of 30 tests per 10,000 residents per week, contact tracing and isolation facilities. —

Fox News, 15 May 2020 During replanting, remove dead and declining portions, including old roots. —

Tom MacCubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, 26 May 2018 The team then built mathematical models using the same data to assess how declining immunity might affect the susceptibility of the U.S. population. —

Roni Dengler, Science | AAAS, 21 Mar. 2018 According to a new analysis by the McKinsey Global Institute, 81 percent of the United States population is in an income bracket with flat or declining income over the last decade. —

Neil Irwin, New York Times, 6 Aug. 2016

Noun

Reports showing inflation and unemployment declining have subsequently been released, and a nominee for the Federal Reserve chairman role has since been announced. —

Matt Richardson, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026

Verb

Meanwhile, Iranian retaliatory attacks appear to be declining — ballistic missile strikes have fallen by 90% and drone attacks by 83%, according to US Central Command — potentially easing pressure on Gulf states that have faced Iranian strikes in recent days. —

Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 6 Mar. 2026 Instead of coming from declining direct-to-home satellite taxes, the money would come directly from state sales and use taxes. —

Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026 Instead of coming from declining direct-to-home satellite taxes the money would come directly from state sales and use taxes. —

Jim Turner, Sun Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026 Among the 40 states with declining claims from 2015-19, the largest declines were in Alaska (56%), Delaware (49%), Kansas (42%), and Wisconsin (39%). —

Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026 During his speech on Tuesday, the President suggested that those prices were declining. —

Chantelle Lee, Time, 27 Feb. 2026 The National Film Board (CNC), which backs the sector, has also been criticized in light of declining box office results. —

Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 26 Feb. 2026 Marinescu and colleague Konrad Kording found in a working paper published by the Brookings Institution in November 2025 that costs to develop and build robots are declining at a slower rate relative to the costs of AI software. —

Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026 Nearly half of the 261 species studied showed big enough losses in numbers to be statistically significant and more than half of those declining are seeing their losses accelerate since 1987, according to Thursday's journal Science. —

ABC News, 26 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for declining

Noun

Canada is the largest source of international tourism to Las Vegas, and the decline of these tourists is a significant blow to the city.

— Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
Growth in enterprise networking, broadband, and server storage revenues were offset by the seasonal decline in wireless (as is the case following the launch of an iPhone given that the component orders are placed ahead of the launch).

— Zev Fima, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2026