1
as in decline
a change to a lower state or level
there's been a declination in basic civility in our society
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in refusal
an unwillingness to grant something asked for
congressional declinations of cabinet appointments have been relatively infrequent, most senators believing that the president is entitled to pick his own advisors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of declination
Nachmanoff pressed the Justice Department over whether a formal declination memo deciding against charges for Comey exists.
—
Ella Lee, The Hill, 19 Nov. 2025
McLaughlin characterized the Fullerton officer’s response as a declination to help.
—Sierra Van Der Brug, Oc Register, 10 Nov. 2025
Jupiter is currently situated against the stars of Gemini the Twins where the ecliptic — the apparent path of the sun, moon and planets — comes farthest north, at +23 degrees declination.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 8 Nov. 2025
Presenting their findings in a lengthy declination memo, the prosecutors explicitly mentioned the two other investigations to bolster their recommendation that probable cause does not exist to charge Comey, according to sources familiar with the contents of the memo.
—Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for declination
Ella Lee, The Hill, 19 Nov. 2025
McLaughlin characterized the Fullerton officer’s response as a declination to help.
—Sierra Van Der Brug, Oc Register, 10 Nov. 2025
Jupiter is currently situated against the stars of Gemini the Twins where the ecliptic — the apparent path of the sun, moon and planets — comes farthest north, at +23 degrees declination.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 8 Nov. 2025
Presenting their findings in a lengthy declination memo, the prosecutors explicitly mentioned the two other investigations to bolster their recommendation that probable cause does not exist to charge Comey, according to sources familiar with the contents of the memo.
—Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for declination
Recent Examples of Synonyms for declination
Noun
-
Stubbornly high home-loan rates, a decline in the construction of new units, and economic angst are all keeping people and property developers from doing more deals, said Richard Green, director of the Lusk Center for Real Estate at USC.—
Roger Vincent,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
-
With the decline of legacy media, campaigns are increasingly turning to social media personalities like Washington to get their message out and humanize them to voters.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Da Vinci won with the track at the Sanremo Music Festival earlier this year, giving him the right of first refusal to represent Italy at Eurovision.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
16 May 2026
-
That opacity serves a clear purpose, but Martelli is enamored by it to a fault, and Inés’ refusal to question the people around her or make any significant decisions beyond keeping her mouth shut eventually proves more trying than helpful.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
The following month, the Veterans Administration filed a report stating that the Nautilus Veterans Hospital was in a severe state of deterioration, mostly because of the dampness from the sea air, which caused the concrete’s steel rods to rust and give way.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
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The switch in alliances has coincided with the rapid deterioration of the security situation in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Florida Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin may not have realized it in December, but losing Lane Kiffin to LSU could eventually look less like a rejection and more like a fortunate escape.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 May 2026
-
Not as punishment or as a rejection of the technology, but as a deliberate change of pace.—
Illia Smoliienko,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
One man’s modernity is, of course, another’s degradation, and, as dinner was served, the conversation turned to such recent innovations as ghost runners, pitch clocks, and robot umps, none of them to Murray’s liking.—
Ben McGrath,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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Critical rehabilitation work has begun on about 1 ½ miles of sanitary sewer pipe in Macomb County, Michigan, after utility crews found severe degradation in the line.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Noun
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The filing includes email correspondence between the PTPA and the two federations, detailing the denials.—
Ava Wallace,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
The denial of Ukrainian political and cultural independence is grounded in the ideas of Russkiy mir.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
These and others make a katabasis, a descent to death.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
The column got mostly positive reactions — well, except from media outlets that are cheering on our descent into authoritarianism.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Declination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/declination. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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