Synonyms of receding

receding 1 of 3

adjective

as in retrogressing

Related Words

• retrogressing
• regressing
• stopped
• halted
• ended
• stalled
• arrested

Dissimilar Words

• proceeding
• ongoing
• operating
• happening
• functioning
• working
• afoot
• alive
• afloat
• going

receding

2 of 3

noun

as in hanging

Related Words

• hanging
• declivity
• decline
• dip
• declination
• fall
• declension
• descent
• downgrade
• hang

Dissimilar Words

• slope
• gradient
• lean
• pitch
• inclination
• grade
• diagonal
• rise
• bank
• incline
• slant
• rake
• climb
• ascent
• upgrade
• cant

receding

3 of 3

verb

present participle of recede

1

as in subsiding

to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually

the sound of sirens receded as the fire engines roared off into the distance

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

2

as in retreating

to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable)

after the rain stops, the floodwaters should gradually recede

Synonyms & Similar Words

• retreating
• withdrawing
• retiring
• fleeing
• falling back
• giving way
• pulling out
• backing away
• evacuating
• losing ground
• dropping back
• shrinking
• flying
• giving ground
• leaving
• recoiling
• detaching
• flinching
• departing
• going
• abandoning
• backing down
• disengaging
• vacating
• climbing down
• backtracking
• pulling away
• disentangling
• bowing out
• backpedaling
• quitting
• chickening (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• advancing
• facing
• confronting
• defying
• breasting
• daring
• braving
• brazening
• bearding
• outbraving

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of receding

Verb

In interviews back then, Musk comes off as awkward, a geek in pleated khakis with a receding hairline and uneven teeth. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026

Although fundamental challenges remain that could cause new turbulence, the peak tensions of the past eight years may well be receding. — Da Wei, Foreign Affairs, 7 Sep. 2026

With his hair receding, Jordan shaved his head clean in 1989 and turned the look into one of the most recognisable images in sport. — Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Authorities in Hungary closed Budapest’s Margaret Bridge after a bomb dating from World War II emerged at its base in receding water. — Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026

When Lake Mead last plunged to record-low water levels in 2022, its dramatically receding shoreline revealed all manner of curiosities. — Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

In August 2025, the remains of a British researcher who vanished in 1959 in Antarctica were discovered amid rocks near a receding glacier on King George Island, located off the Antarctic Peninsula. — CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026

The discovery of bodies in receding glaciers isn’t new for the region. — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026

The lake's receding waters are also uncovering ghost towns flooded when the Hoover Dam was built, along with prehistoric salt mines. — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026