1
as in deterioration
a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body
a noticeable declension of the fitness of the baseball players over the winter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in declination
a change to a lower state or level
a declension in her acting career from leading roles to cameos eventually
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in downhill
a downward slope
from this region to the seacoast there's a gentle declension of the landscape
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of declension
That’s the whole exhibition, and anyone who was expecting this to be a Netflix declension of the Degenerate Art Show, with poor patriarchal Picasso as ritualized scapegoat, can rest easy.
—
Jason Farago, New York Times, 1 June 2023
Haidt follows the same tired declension narrative that his rhetorical forebearers did.
—Vicki Phillips, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2023
The same time span felt faster, like an explosion rather than like a declension.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 7 June 2021
One time, when Joyce was memorizing Latin declension, Bill Bradley of the Knicks took notice.
—Katherine Fitzgerald, The Arizona Republic, 18 July 2021
The experience of the pandemic was made ghastlier by being placed against the declension of Trumpism from evil to absurdity—who will ever forget Four Seasons Total Landscaping?—and then back into even darker evil again.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 31 Dec. 2020
Gender plays an integral role in many languages, from nouns assigned to a specific gender to adjectives changing their declensions based on the noun being described.
—Madhvi Ramani, Smithsonian, 28 Feb. 2018
Jason Farago, New York Times, 1 June 2023
Haidt follows the same tired declension narrative that his rhetorical forebearers did.
—Vicki Phillips, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2023
The same time span felt faster, like an explosion rather than like a declension.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 7 June 2021
One time, when Joyce was memorizing Latin declension, Bill Bradley of the Knicks took notice.
—Katherine Fitzgerald, The Arizona Republic, 18 July 2021
The experience of the pandemic was made ghastlier by being placed against the declension of Trumpism from evil to absurdity—who will ever forget Four Seasons Total Landscaping?—and then back into even darker evil again.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 31 Dec. 2020
Gender plays an integral role in many languages, from nouns assigned to a specific gender to adjectives changing their declensions based on the noun being described.
—Madhvi Ramani, Smithsonian, 28 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for declension
Noun
-
This industry is the major culprit in the bay’s deterioration.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
14 Feb. 2025
-
In the fourth quarter, revenues were up 2 percent at constant exchange rates, returning to growth after several quarters of deterioration, mainly thanks to the improvement recorded by the wholesale channel.—
Luisa Zargani,
WWD,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
In contrast, during 2016-16 the lunar declination varied from only 18.5 degrees north to 18.5 degrees south.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
7 Feb. 2025
-
Red and declinations to rust and burgundy at Ferragamo and Bottega Veneta.—
WWD,
WWD,
3 Sep. 2019
Noun
-
That’s how Breezy Johnson described having recently won the women’s downhill event and the women’s team combined at the FIS Alpine World Skiing Championships in Saalbach, Austria.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
WWD,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Sandra Whyte scores on an empty-netter with eight seconds left to give the United States a 3-1 victory over Canada. 2010 — Americans Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso finish 1-2 in the downhill at the Vancouver Olympics.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The Associated Press pointed to the possibility of tariffs and a decline in consumer spending as the reasons for the earlier drop.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
4 Mar. 2025
-
It’s commonly accepted HR doctrine that after a large layoff, those who stay suffer a 20% decline in their job performance.—
Phil Blair,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The straight [classic beef] French dip and the potato salad are my one-two punch.—
Adam Tschorn,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Given its 667 weeks on the all-genre ranking, a tiny dip like that is hardly a sign of slowing momentum.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Such insects accelerate microbial decay by grinding wood down to smaller bits, while also digesting some themselves.—
Katarina Zimmer,
Smithsonian Magazine,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Cats and dogs can detect odor and decay from long distances.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Service degradation caused in some attacks has lasted multiple days, with some remaining ongoing as of the time this post went live.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Bristol Myers Squibb is leveraging AI and machine learning to advance protein degradation science.—
Tina Chakrabarty,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The Moon lacks an atmosphere to help spacecraft slow down during descent.—
Kristin Shaw,
Ars Technica,
27 Feb. 2025
-
German bond yields may rise, and there is scope for the euro to halt its descent (relative to the dollar).—
Mike O'Sullivan,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Declension.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/declension. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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