DECLENSION Synonyms: 131 Similar and Opposite Words

declension

noun

di-ˈklen(t)-shən

Definition of declension

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

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

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

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.

Recent Examples of declension Haidt follows the same tired declension narrative that his rhetorical forebearers did. — Vicki Phillips, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2023 One time, when Joyce was memorizing Latin declension, Bill Bradley of the Knicks took notice. — Katherine Fitzgerald, The Arizona Republic, 18 July 2021 The same time span felt faster, like an explosion rather than like a declension. — Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 7 June 2021 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

International monitors have warned of a deterioration in political rights and civil liberties worldwide.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Milder temperatures and heavy rainstorms have led to more deterioration and flooding on streets and sidewalks.

— Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of deterioration

Noun

To me, the two nude figures in languid declination seemed, saliently, to be melting in the heat of a summer day, but their triton-wielding and breast-cupping poses must certainly have also invited debate centuries before.

— Scott Laird, Travel + Leisure, 17 Sep. 2026
The declinations came as the DOJ reassigned and cut prosecutors working on environmental cases.

— Ken B. Morales, ProPublica, 31 Mar. 2026

Definition of declination

Noun

He got stuffed by double-team blocks and turned away by larger Toronto wings, who manhandled the slighter forward in his attempts to create downhill momentum.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
Direct water toward the bed by installing a gutter extension, creating a downhill slope, digging a trench or connecting a PVC pipe to a distant gutter and running it underground to the rain garden.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of downhill

Noun

The hurricane center said the storm's intensity could fluctuate over the next few days but would likely maintain hurricane strength through Thursday, with gradual weakening forecast thereafter.

— CBS News, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
The networks learn to recognize patterns by strengthening and weakening connections between nodes in response to training data.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of weakening

Noun

Among the relics of its decline is a hulking complex of rusted pipes, towers and conveyor belts in Delano, just five miles north of the McFarland chipping yard.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
The stock was down -7% in premarket trading Wednesday, to under $64/share, a decline of nearly 30% year-to-date to the lowest point since August 2024.

— Todd Spangler, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of decline

Noun

But he was plagued by guilt over his ancestor’s role in the trials, and felt compelled to explore themes of human character, greed, and social decay through his work.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
About 1 in 5 adults ages 20 to 64 has at least one untreated cavity, and nearly all adults 65 and older have dealt with tooth decay at some point, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

— Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of decay

Noun

In the small-cap space, Piper Sandler's Tenthoff likes Monte Rosa Therapeutics, a pioneer in protein degradation that selectively destroys disease-causing proteins.

— Paulina Likos, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
The degradation of Starshield is estimated to have cost Ukraine tens of millions of dollars in losses, according to an analysis by Dimko Zhluktenko, a drone pilot and analyst in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

— Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of degradation

Browse Nearby Words

déclassé

declension

declensions

See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

Style

“Declension.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/declension. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of declension

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on declension

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

milieu

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes