decline

[ dih-klahyn ]

/ dɪˈklaɪn /

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verb (used with object), de·clined, de·clin·ing.

to withhold or deny consent to do, enter into or upon, etc.; refuse: He declined to say more about it.

to express inability or reluctance to accept; refuse with courtesy: to decline an invitation; to decline an offer.

to cause to slope or incline downward.

Grammar.

to inflect (a noun, pronoun, or adjective), as Latin puella, declined puella, puellae, puellae, puellam, puella in the five cases of the singular.
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), de·clined, de·clin·ing.

to express courteous refusal; refuse: We sent him an invitation but he declined.

to bend or slant down; slope downward; descend: The hill declines to the lake.

(of pathways, routes, objects, etc.) to follow a downward course or path: The sun declined in the skies.

to draw toward the close, as the day.

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

to fail or dwindle; sink or fade away: to decline in popularity.

to descend, as to an unworthy level; stoop.

Grammar. to be characterized by declension.

noun

a downward slope; declivity.

a downward movement, as of prices or population; diminution: a decline in the stock market.

a failing or gradual loss, as in strength, character, power, or value; deterioration: the decline of the Roman Empire.

a gradual deterioration of the physical powers, as in later life or in disease: After his seventieth birthday he went into a decline.

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

the later years or last part: He became an editor in the decline of his life.

Nearby words

Origin of decline

1275–1325; (v.) Middle English declinen < Old French: to inflect, turn aside, sink < Latin dēclīnāre to slope, incline, bend; compare Greek klī́nein to lean¹; (noun) Middle English declin < Old French, derivative of decliner

SYNONYMS FOR decline

1. reject. See refuse¹. 9. degenerate, decay, weaken, diminish, languish. 13. hill. 15. retrogression, degeneration, enfeeblement, weakening.

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ANTONYMS FOR decline

6. rise. 9. improve.

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Related forms

de·clin·er, nounpre·de·cline, verb (used with object), pre·de·clined, pre·de·clin·ing.re·de·cline, verb, re·de·clined, re·de·clin·ing, nounun·de·clined, adjective

un·de·clin·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for declined

The Italian foreign ministry has declined to comment on the video.
Jihadis Release New Year’s Eve Video of Italian Female Hostages|Jamie Dettmer, Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She adds that they continued to email, but “finally, in so many words, he declined to be interviewed.”
The Deal With Serial’s Jay? He’s Pissed Off, Mucks Up Our Timeline|Emily Shire|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Fossella declined to run again, but in the years since he has mused aloud about challenging Grimm.
Will Dirty Pol Vito Fossella Replace Dirty Pol Michael Grimm?|David Freedlander|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the current pontiff, for reasons one might fully understand, declined to meet the would-be papal assassin.
Pope-Shooter Ali Agca’s Very Weird Vatican Visit|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Abu Faour declined repeated requests to comment for this article.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda|Ruth Michaelson|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His landlady interrupted his gaze to know what he would have for dinner, but he declined to use any discretion in the matter.
Robert Falconer|George MacDonald
On seeking re-election in York, he declined to give any pledge on the burning question of the Clergy Reserves and was defeated.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2|Various
This proposition carried with it so much loneliness and isolation, that it was declined.
Memoirs of Orange Jacobs|Orange Jacobs
He refused no one his assistance, declined no one's proffered gifts.
Rabbi and Priest|Milton Goldsmith
So easily without care or trouble may the brunts of malice be declined or repelled.
Sermons on Evil-Speaking|Isaac Barrow

British Dictionary definitions for declined

decline

/ (dɪˈklaɪn) /

verb

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

(intr) to grow smaller; diminishdemand has declined over the years

to slope or cause to slope downwards

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

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 genderCompare conjugate (def. 1)

noun

gradual deterioration or loss

a movement downwards or towards something smaller; diminution

a downward slope; declivity

archaic any slowly progressive disease, such as tuberculosis

Derived Formsdeclinable, adjectivedecliner, noun

Word Origin for decline

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for declined

decline

early 14c., "deterioration, degeneration," from Old French declin (see decline (v.)).

decline

late 14c., "to turn aside, deviate," from Old French decliner "to sink, decline, degenerate, turn aside," from Latin declinare "to lower, avoid, deviate, to bend from, inflect," from de- "from" (see de-) + clinare "to bend," from PIE *klei-n-, suffixed form of *klei- "to lean" (see lean (v.)). Sense has been altered since c.1400 by interpretation of de- as "downward." Meaning "not to consent, politely refuse," is from 1630s. Related: Declined; declining.

decline

verb (used with object), de·clined, de·clin·ing.

verb (used without object), de·clined, de·clin·ing.

noun

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decline

verb

noun

Word Origin for decline

decline

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