1
a
: noun, adjective, or pronoun inflection especially in some prescribed order of the forms
b
: a class of nouns or adjectives having the same type of inflectional forms
2
: a falling off or away : deterioration
3

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The Evolution of Declension

Declension came into English (via Middle French) in the first half of the 15th century, originating in the Latin verb declinare, meaning "to inflect" or "to turn aside." The word seems to have whiled away its time in the narrow field of grammar until Shakespeare put a new sense of the word in his play Richard III in 1593: "A beauty-waning and distressed widow / … Seduc'd the pitch and height of his degree / To base declension and loath'd bigamy." This "deterioration" sense led within a few decades to the newest sense of the word still in common use, "descent" or "slope." The 19th century saw still another new sense of the word—meaning "a courteous refusal"—but that sense has remained quite rare.

Examples of declension in a Sentence

a noticeable declension of the fitness of the baseball players over the winter a declension in her acting career from leading roles to cameos eventually
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English declenson, modification of Middle French declinaison, from Latin declination-, declinatio grammatical inflection, turning aside, from declinare to inflect, turn aside

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of declension was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Declension.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/declension. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

declension

noun
1
a
: the giving of noun, adjective, or pronoun inflections especially in a specified order
b
: a class of nouns or adjectives having the same type of inflectional forms
2
3
declensional adjective

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