Synonyms of declining

declining 1 of 3

adjective

di-ˈklī-niŋ 

as in bowing

bending downward or forward

the declining flowers perked up with the gentle rainfall

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

declining

2 of 3

noun

as in decline

Related Words

• decline
• deterioration
• decay
• decaying
• degeneration
• waning
• decadence
• fading
• declension
• wilting
• withering
• dying
• shriveling
• ebbing
• descent
• demise
• death
• decease
• perishing
• expiration
• exit
• regression
• expiry
• reversion
• expiring
• retrogression
• end

Dissimilar Words

• growth
• development
• maturing
• maturation
• ripening
• flowering
• flourishing
• softening
• blossoming
• mellowing

declining

3 of 3

verb

present participle of decline

1

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• refusing
• rejecting
• ignoring
• denying
• passing
• dismissing
• avoiding
• withdrawing
• spurning
• disputing
• disapproving
• vetoing
• forbidding
• repudiating
• turning down
• throwing over
• passing up
• balking (at)
• reprobating
• throwing out
• nixing
• deselecting
• negativing
• prohibiting
• overruling
• rebuffing
• disdaining
• scouting
• turning one's back on
• retracting
• renouncing
• blowing off
• proscribing
• scorning
• revoking
• shooting down
• contradicting
• disavowing
• recalling
• refuting
• sticking
• abstaining (from)
• recanting
• abjuring
• bypassing
• taking back
• forbearing
• disclaiming
• disproving
• forswearing
• refraining (from)
• negating
• disowning
• rebutting
• unsaying
• controverting
• gainsaying
• disagreeing (with)
• detouring
• disallowing
• backing off
• backtracking
• backing down
• reneging

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• accepting
• approving
• agreeing (to)
• receiving
• taking
• adopting
• swallowing
• tolerating
• embracing
• welcoming
• agreeing
• choosing
• selecting
• consenting
• acceding
• condoning
• supporting
• countenancing
• assenting
• acquiescing
• espousing
• handpicking

2

as in denying

to be unwilling to grant

declined our request to hold a party

Synonyms & Similar Words

• refusing
• denying
• rejecting
• withholding
• disapproving
• disallowing
• forbidding
• prohibiting
• keeping
• restricting
• reprobating
• negativing
• vetoing
• nixing
• banning
• restraining
• enjoining
• proscribing
• checking
• holding
• curbing
• impeding
• spurning
• hindering
• rebuffing
• repelling
• constraining
• repressing
• obstructing
• balking (at)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• granting
• permitting
• providing
• letting
• allowing
• supplying
• giving
• conceding
• furnishing
• affording
• authorizing
• licensing
• commissioning
• acquiescing
• OK'ing
• agreeing (to)
• warranting
• according
• consenting (to)
• assenting (to)
• acceding (to)
• sanctioning
• vouchsafing

3

as in falling

to go to a lower level especially abruptly

new-car sales declined to their lowest level in years

Synonyms & Similar Words

• falling
• plunging
• dipping
• tumbling
• plummeting
• dropping
• decreasing
• sinking
• descending
• skidding
• lowering
• crashing
• diminishing
• cratering
• diving
• dwindling
• retreating
• nose-diving
• waning
• subsiding
• ebbing
• drooping
• dying (down)
• lessening
• moderating
• tapering off
• abating
• receding
• letting up
• de-escalating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rising
• arising
• ascending
• mounting
• soaring
• increasing
• lifting
• growing
• expanding
• building
• spiking
• escalating
• swelling
• accumulating
• intensifying
• enlarging
• burgeoning
• upping
• picking up
• mushrooming
• waxing
• snowballing
• ballooning

4

as in deteriorating

to become worse or of less value

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deteriorating
• worsening
• crumbling
• descending
• diminishing
• degenerating
• ebbing
• sinking
• rotting
• decaying
• devolving
• regressing
• weakening
• retrograding
• atrophying
• dwindling
• disintegrating
• waning
• falling
• sagging
• downsizing
• reducing
• going to pot
• receding
• slipping
• going to seed
• decomposing
• degrading
• undermining
• souring
• corrupting
• failing
• dilapidating
• moldering
• abating
• lessening
• lagging
• putrefying
• lowering
• languishing
• debilitating
• drooping
• spoiling
• flagging
• de-escalating
• wasting (away)
• wilting
• running down
• breaking down

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• improving
• ameliorating
• upgrading
• enhancing
• bettering
• strengthening
• meliorating
• intensifying
• developing
• heightening
• proceeding
• enriching
• progressing
• advancing
• fortifying
• marching

5

as in decreasing

to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually

the winds should decline as soon as the cold front passes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• decreasing
• diminishing
• subsiding
• falling
• shrinking
• vanishing
• ebbing
• dwindling
• waning
• easing
• tapering
• moderating
• lowering
• receding
• dropping (off)
• weakening
• dying (away or down or out)
• lessening
• draining (away)
• falling away
• tapering off
• relenting
• evaporating
• ratcheting (down)
• remitting
• abating
• racheting (down)
• letting up
• collapsing
• phasing down
• palling
• de-escalating
• contracting
• compressing
• melting (away)
• slackening
• fading (away)
• alleviating
• condensing
• constricting
• slowing (down)
• frittering (away)
• petering (out)
• tailing (off)
• relaxing
• flagging
• giving out
• sinking
• deflating
• caving (in)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• increasing
• growing
• rising
• expanding
• building
• mounting
• escalating
• swelling
• soaring
• accumulating
• intensifying
• enlarging
• burgeoning
• emerging
• appearing
• picking up
• mushrooming
• waxing
• snowballing
• ballooning
• showing up
• lengthening
• blowing up
• elongating
• distending

6

as in plunging

to lead or extend downward

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• falling
• plunging
• descending
• sinking
• dropping
• sloping
• dipping
• leaning
• tilting
• inclining
• angling
• tipping
• slanting
• reclining
• listing
• cocking
• canting
• heeling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rising
• ascending
• arising
• mounting
• climbing
• uprising
• evening
• upsweeping
• upturning
• flattening
• straightening
• smoothing
• planing
• leveling

Example Sentences

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

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

When Russians embrace the Eurasian narrative, they are also engaged in the political project of rejecting Europe and the West, which Putin and his allies deride as decadent, declining, and immoral. — Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

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

Local officials and school leaders have linked the shortage of family housing to declining enrollment in the Davis Joint Unified School District, which is weighing school closures. — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026

And the Civilian Oversight Commission filed suit against the department in June for declining to provide certain records related to three cases of use of force the commission issued subpoenas for in February 2025. — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

The new targets come after a year of stagnant or declining prices. — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026

What readers are saying The conversation explores concerns about declining literacy and the impact of technology on reading habits. — George F. Will, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026

The Olathe Public Schools Board of Education will vote this week on whether to close five elementary schools and one middle school to address problems related to declining enrollment. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026

Many of the challenges dominating today’s policy debates — from military readiness and economic competitiveness to rising health care costs and declining life expectancy — have roots in childhood. — Stanley McChrystal, STAT, 29 Sep. 2026

Reasons for the higher losses for the elderly range from access to a nest egg and a lack of comfort with newer technology to loneliness and declining cognitive abilities. — Angela Ramos, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026

Overlooking them may come at a cost, with rising burnout and declining mental and physical well-being already offering a glimpse of what that cost can look like. — Naira Velumyan, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026