decline

[dih-klahyn]

verb (used with object)

declined, declining 

1. to withhold or deny consent to do, enter into or upon, etc.; refuse.

   He declined to say more about it.

   Synonyms: reject

2. to express inability or reluctance to accept; refuse with courtesy.

   to decline an invitation; to decline an offer.

3. to cause to slope or incline downward.

4. Grammar.

   1. to inflect (a noun, pronoun, or adjective), as Latin puella, declined puella, puellae, puellae, puellam, puella in the five cases of the singular.

   2. to recite or display all or some subset of the inflected forms of a noun, pronoun, or adjective in a fixed order.

verb (used without object)

declined, declining 

1. to express courteous refusal; refuse.

   We sent him an invitation but he declined.

2. to bend or slant down; slope downward; descend.

   The hill declines to the lake.

   Antonyms: rise

3. (of pathways, routes, objects, etc.) to follow a downward course or path.

   The sun declined in the skies.

4. to draw toward the close, as the day.

5. to fail in strength, vigor, character, value, etc.; deteriorate.

   Synonyms: languish, diminish, weaken, decay, degenerate
   Antonyms: improve

6. to fail or dwindle; sink or fade away.

   to decline in popularity.

7. to descend, as to an unworthy level; stoop.

8. Grammar.,  to be characterized by declension.

noun

1. a downward slope; declivity.

   Synonyms: hill

2. a downward movement, as of prices or population; diminution.

   a decline in the stock market.

3. a failing or gradual loss, as in strength, character, power, or value; deterioration.

   the decline of the Roman Empire.

   Synonyms: enfeeblement, degeneration, retrogression

4. a gradual deterioration of the physical powers, as in later life or in disease.

   After his seventieth birthday he went into a decline.

5. progress downward or toward the close, as of the sun or the day.

6. the later years or last part.

   He became an editor in the decline of his life.

decline

/ dɪˈklaɪn /

verb

1. to refuse to do or accept (something), esp politely

2. (intr) to grow smaller; diminish

   demand has declined over the years

3. to slope or cause to slope downwards

4. (intr) to deteriorate gradually, as in quality, health, or character

5. grammar to state or list the inflections of (a noun, adjective, or pronoun), or (of a noun, adjective, or pronoun) to be inflected for number, case, or gender Compare conjugate

noun

1. gradual deterioration or loss

2. a movement downwards or towards something smaller; diminution

3. a downward slope; declivity

4. archaic,  any slowly progressive disease, such as tuberculosis

Other Word Forms

• decliner noun
• predecline verb (used with object)
• redecline verb
• undeclined adjective
• undeclining adjective
• declinable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of decline¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; (verb) Middle English declinen, from Old French: “to inflect, turn aside, sink,” from Latin dēclīnāre “to slope, incline, bend”; compare Greek klī́nein “to lean” ( lean ¹ ); (noun) Middle English declin, from Old French, derivative of decliner

Word History and Origins

Origin of decline¹

C14: from Old French decliner to inflect, turn away, sink, from Latin dēclīnāre to bend away, inflect grammatically

Synonym Study

See refuse ¹.

Example Sentences

The representative declined to comment on the reason for the policy beyond the statement.

From Los Angeles Times

On Friday, the department said its latest estimates showed the US actually lost jobs in June, the first such decline since 2020.

From BBC

Schmidt declined multiple requests to be interviewed for this story.

From Los Angeles Times

Takano framed the event as a roundtable, rather than congressional hearing, after the VA declined to send any staff to answer questions and no Republicans on the committee agreed to attend.

From Los Angeles Times

Until now, “there’s never been much opposition, really” to the narrative of the Californios’ decline, Chavez-Garcia said, calling it “foundational” to the state’s mythology.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• decrease 
• depreciate 
• deteriorate 
• diminish 
• drop 
• dwindle 
• fail 
• fall 
• lower 
• recede 
• return 
• sag 
• shrink 
• sink 
• slide 
• wane 
• weaken 
• worsen