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Synonyms for decline

verb

  1. To refuse

    reject, turn down, beg to be excused, send regrets; see refuse.

  2. To decrease

    diminish, wane, dwindle, fade; see decrease 1.

  3. To sink slowly

    descend, dip, droop, settle; see descend 1, lean 1, sink 1.

  4. To deteriorate

    fail, sink, degenerate, backslide; see decay, weaken 1. See syn. study at refuse.

See decline in Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus II


verb
  1. To be unwilling to accept, consider, or receive:

    dismiss, refuse, reject, spurn, turn down. (Slang) nix. Idiom: turn thumbs down on. See accept
  2. To slope downward:

    descend, dip, drop, fall, pitch, sink. See rise
  3. To become lower in quality, character, or condition:

    atrophy, degenerate, descend, deteriorate, retrograde, sink, worsen. Idioms: go bad, go to pot, go to seed , go to the dogs. See better
  4. To lose strength or power:

    degenerate, deteriorate, fade, fail, flag2, languish, sink, wane, waste (away), weaken. (Informal) fizzle (out). Idioms: go downhill, hit the skids. See increase, strong
noun
  1. Descent to a lower level or condition:

    atrophy, decadence, declension, declination, degeneracy, degeneration, deterioration. See better
  2. A marked loss of strength or effectiveness:

    declination, deterioration, failure. See increase
  3. A usually swift downward trend, as in prices:

    descent, dip, dive, downslide, downswing, downtrend, downturn, drop, drop-off, fall, nosedive, plunge, skid, slide, slump, tumble. See increase
  4. A downward slope or distance:

    declivity, descent, drop, fall, pitch. See rise

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