Decline
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: /dɪˈklaɪn/
- US IPA: /dəˈklɑɪn/, IPA: /diˈklɑɪn/
- Rhymes: -aɪn
Origin
From Middle English declinen, from Old French decliner, from Latin declinare ("to bend, turn aside, deflect, inflect, decline"), from de ("down") + clīnŠ("I bend, I incline"), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱley- (English lean).
Full definition of decline
Noun
decline
(plural declines)- Downward movement, fall.
- A sloping downward, e.g. of a hill or road.
- (weakening)A weakening.
- 2012-01, Philip E. Mirowski, Harms to Health from the Pursuit of Profits, In an era when political leaders promise deliverance from decline through America’s purported preeminence in scientific research, the news that science is in deep trouble in the United States has been as unwelcome as a diagnosis of leukemia following the loss of health insurance.
- A reduction or diminution of activity.
- Schuster Hepaticae V|ixIt is also pertinent to note that the current obvious decline in work on holarctic hepatics most surely reflects a current obsession with cataloging and with nomenclature of the organisms—as divorced from their study as living entities.
Antonyms
Verb
- (intransitive) To move downwards, to fall, to drop.The dollar has declined rapidly since 2001.
- (intransitive) To become weaker or worse.My health declined in winter.
- (transitive) To bend downward; to bring down; to depress; to cause to bend, or fall.
- Thomsonin melancholy deep, with head declined
- SpenserAnd now fair Phoebus gan decline in haste
His weary wagon to the western vale. - (transitive) To cause to decrease or diminish.
- Beaumont and FletcherYou have declined his means.
- BurtonHe knoweth his error, but will not seek to decline it.
- To turn or bend aside; to deviate; to stray; to withdraw.a line that declines from straightnessconduct that declines from sound morals
- Bible, Psalms cxix. 157Yet do I not decline from thy testimonies.
- (transitive) To refuse, forbear.
- MassingerCould I decline this dreadful hour?
- 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 7, “… This is Mr. Churchill, who, as you are aware, is good enough to come to us for his diaconate, and, as we hope, for much longer; and being a gentleman of independent means, he declines to take any payment.†Saying this Walden rubbed his hands together and smiled contentedly.
- On reflection I think I will decline your generous offer.
- (transitive, grammar, of substantives, usually nouns, adjectives and pronouns) To inflect for case, number and sometimes gender.
- Aschamafter the first declining of a noun and a verb
- (by extension) To run through from first to last; to repeat like a schoolboy declining a noun.