as in bowing
bending downward or forward
the declining flowers perked up with the gentle rainfall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in denying
to be unwilling to grant
declined our request to hold a party
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in decline
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of declining
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
The team then built mathematical models using the same data to assess how declining immunity might affect the susceptibility of the U.S. population.
—Roni Dengler, Science | AAAS, 21 Mar. 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
Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2025
However, her cousin the followed up, and the OP wrote back declining the invite.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
Paula’s Choice and Dermalogica returned to low-single-digit growth after declining in the first half.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
This did cause Russia some pain, with its oil and gas revenues declining after the initial measure introduced in 2022.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025
That’s due to home price growth that is mostly flat or slightly declining because of decreasing demand and increasing supply, according to the National Association of Home Builders.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2025
However, the number of foreign residents has risen sharply in recent years, reaching a record 3 percent of the population in 2024, as Tokyo cautiously loosened visa requirements for workers in key industries facing labor shortages amid a declining birth rate and aging workforce.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Some, for example, are declining to offer health care plans to their employees and are instead giving them subsidies and telling them to go find plans on the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
—Alana Semuels, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
Screening is key Across all ages, colorectal cancer cases and related deaths in the US have been declining for decades, Ng said, attributing that success to improvements in treatment and public health efforts to promote screening.
—Andrea Kane, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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
The team then built mathematical models using the same data to assess how declining immunity might affect the susceptibility of the U.S. population.
—Roni Dengler, Science | AAAS, 21 Mar. 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
Contract options exercised for 4 The club exercised contract options on Stephen Afrifa, Zorhan Bassong, Jansen Miller and John Pulskamp, while declining options for Tim Leibold, Nemanja Radoja, Ryan Schewe, Shelton and Mason Toye.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2025
However, her cousin the followed up, and the OP wrote back declining the invite.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
Paula’s Choice and Dermalogica returned to low-single-digit growth after declining in the first half.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
This did cause Russia some pain, with its oil and gas revenues declining after the initial measure introduced in 2022.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025
That’s due to home price growth that is mostly flat or slightly declining because of decreasing demand and increasing supply, according to the National Association of Home Builders.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2025
However, the number of foreign residents has risen sharply in recent years, reaching a record 3 percent of the population in 2024, as Tokyo cautiously loosened visa requirements for workers in key industries facing labor shortages amid a declining birth rate and aging workforce.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Some, for example, are declining to offer health care plans to their employees and are instead giving them subsidies and telling them to go find plans on the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
—Alana Semuels, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
Screening is key Across all ages, colorectal cancer cases and related deaths in the US have been declining for decades, Ng said, attributing that success to improvements in treatment and public health efforts to promote screening.
—Andrea Kane, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for declining
Verb
-
The documents included disciplinary information and reportedly showed that Sherrill was barred from walking at her 1994 graduation after refusing to inform on classmates involved in a cheating scandal.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The violations include student-athletes betting on and against their own teams, sharing information with third parties for purposes of sports betting, manipulating scoring or outcomes and/or refusing to participate in the investigation.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
According to the woman, her parents’ reasoning for denying her requests was rooted in a harsh lesson about independence.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
-
The company has also filed a countersuit denying allegations of wrongdoing, while claiming over $116 million in damages and lost profits.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This just makes the upcoming six-game homestand critical for the Wild in not falling too far behind in the Western Conference.—
Joe Smith,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
After the Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the first time since December 2024 last month, experts projected that rates would continue falling—even if ever so slightly.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Instead, the property has passed hands from private owner to private owner, hidden from view off a lonely winding road, slowly deteriorating over the years.—
Amanda Rosa
October 23,
Miami Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Grid operators are warning of steep increases in electricity demand for the first time in decades, leading utilities to race to expand capacity by reviving plans for natural-gas plants or building new ones, and, in some regions, even extending the life of deteriorating coal facilities.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
That’s due to home price growth that is mostly flat or slightly declining because of decreasing demand and increasing supply, according to the National Association of Home Builders.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
23 Oct. 2025
-
This reflectivity is known as albedo, and Earth’s overall albedo has been decreasing for decades.—
Ryan Green,
Scientific American,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Beyond Meat shares have collapsed over the past five years, starting with a 48% plunge in 2021 and plunging further until Roundhill Investments added the stock to its Roundhill Meme Stock ETF (MEME) on Monday.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
24 Oct. 2025
-
For the nuptials, Bella wore an plunging green gown with pleating on the bodice and a thigh-high slit up the floor-sweeping ruffled skirt.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Since 1928, significant market declines of at least 5% have happened in 92 out of 98 years.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
-
One of the most popular college majors is seeing a significant decline in graduates, according to a new report from AEI.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head.—
Aylin Woodward,
WSJ,
21 Dec. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Declining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/declining. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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