deceleration

American  

[dee-sel-uh-rey-shuhn] / diˌsɛl əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the fact of losing speed, or the act of reducing the speed of something.

   Prolonged deceleration of the fetal heart rate is cause for concern.

2. the act or process of slowing the rate of increase of something.

   During that quarter, job creation stalled and stocks fell, confirming that there was a deceleration in the economy.

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Usage

What does deceleration mean? Deceleration describes a decrease in velocity, that is, momentum.Deceleration describes the slowing of an increase. Wind, for example, moves with a certain amount of momentum. When the wind’s momentum slows down, that is, the wind doesn’t blow as hard, we can say that the wind is experiencing deceleration.Example: The deceleration of the ship came abruptly to the passengers.

Other Word Forms

• nondeceleration noun

Etymology

Origin of deceleration

deceler(ate) ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )

Example Sentences

The deceleration was driven largely by a 9.2% plunge in energy prices after the government rolled out subsidies to help households cope with rising living costs.

From The Wall Street Journal

Analysts pointed to a deceleration in bookings in the latest quarter, saying the trend would likely continue in 2026.

From Barron's

AppLovin’s guidance for the current quarter beat expectations but the outlook represented a deceleration of revenue growth.

From Barron's

On Friday, the Commerce Department said that the slower fourth quarter growth "reflected downturns in government spending and exports and a deceleration in consumer spending."

From Barron's

Treasury yields fell across maturities in Asian trade, as markets continued to anticipate interest-rate cuts by the Fed this year after data showed deceleration in January inflation data Friday.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• decline
• delay
• downtrend
• downturn
• drop
• drop-off
• falloff
• slackening
• stagnation
• strike