as in bowing
bending downward or forward
we awaited our punishment with declined heads
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in refused
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to
he declined the invitation to the party she declined to participate in the soccer game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in denied
to be unwilling to grant
declined our request to hold a party
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in fell
to go to a lower level especially abruptly
new-car sales declined to their lowest level in years
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in deteriorated
to become worse or of less value
his reputation as a writer began to decline not long after his death
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in decreased
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually
the winds should decline as soon as the cold front passes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in plunged
to lead or extend downward
the bike path declines toward the riverbank and then follows the river for several miles
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of declined
ProPublica, 13 Sep. 2025
Citing the ongoing investigation, police declined to release further details.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 13 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, Apple’s market share has declined to 49% from 56%.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Ku’s family was present at the court hearing and declined comment afterward.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
The Human Rights Commission declined to comment when contacted by phone.
—Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 13 Sep. 2025
The Washington Examiner reached out to the FBI and the Salt Lake City FBI branch, but both declined to comment.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 13 Sep. 2025
Woods declined the captaincy, citing his other responsibilities on the PGA Tour.
—Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Walmart and Levi Strauss declined to comment.
—Kevin Williams, CNBC, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
Mendoza declined multiple requests for an interview and did not provide comments in response to ProPublica’s letters detailing the case.
—ProPublica, 13 Sep. 2025
Citing the ongoing investigation, police declined to release further details.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 13 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, Apple’s market share has declined to 49% from 56%.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Ku’s family was present at the court hearing and declined comment afterward.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
The Human Rights Commission declined to comment when contacted by phone.
—Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 13 Sep. 2025
The Washington Examiner reached out to the FBI and the Salt Lake City FBI branch, but both declined to comment.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 13 Sep. 2025
Woods declined the captaincy, citing his other responsibilities on the PGA Tour.
—Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Walmart and Levi Strauss declined to comment.
—Kevin Williams, CNBC, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for declined
Verb
-
But the friendship fell apart earlier this year when Farage refused to echo Musk’s support for Robinson, the founder of the now-defunct anti-immigration English Defence League (EDL), who was previously jailed for being in contempt of court by repeating false accusations about a Syrian refugee.—
Catherine Nicholls,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
-
After handling raw chicken, an employee refused to wash his hands in the handwashing sink, instead of the prep sink.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Her lawsuit denied the charges but did not provide more details.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The doctor spent more than 1,300 days incarcerated while repeatedly denied bail.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Cal Fire’s newest proposal for Jackson, dubbed AMEX, targets nearly 500 acres with a patchwork of small clearcuts and is silent on tree sizes to be felled.—
John P. O’Brien,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Footage from the 1966 Italian documentary Africa Addio, of a herd of elephants being felled by both ground hunters and sharpshooters in helicopters, is distressing to watch.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But the relations have deteriorated significantly since the start of the war in Gaza, with Israeli officials voicing growing anger at Qatar, accusing the government of harboring Hamas and not putting enough pressure on it to agree to a ceasefire.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The Republican president returned to office in January promising to reinvigorate relations with Netanyahu that had deteriorated under his Democratic predecessor.—
Gram Slattery,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The study led by Phillips that published last year found that the vaccine reduced signs of chlamydia during a koala's breeding age and decreased death from the disease by 64%.—
Chandelis Duster,
NPR,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Darrow says the orchard’s acreage has decreased by half, mirroring the state’s overall decline since 2000.—
Mark Dent,
HubSpot,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
According to Bangladesh’s tax and customs collection agency, the National Board of Revenue (NBR), volumes via these gateways plunged 26 percent in July and 52 percent in August as exporters had to reroute goods out of the country via ocean.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The biopharmaceutical company plunged 21% after results from a phase 3 trial showed Summit’s lung cancer drug, ivonescimab, resulted in fewer improvements in European and North American patients compared to their Chinese counterparts.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
James O’Donoghue, a planetary scientist with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, likened our planet’s tilting phenomenon to a nodding head.—
Aylin Woodward,
WSJ,
21 Dec. 2021
Verb
-
She was discovered by a photographer in the lobby of a modeling agency that had just rejected her.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Neither Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin nor the camp representing star forward Kirill Kaprizov are saying much after the team’s potentially history-making first contract offer was reportedly rejected.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Declined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/declined. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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