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

Unlike Netflix, Disney is wrestling with the ongoing deterioration of linear TV.

— Todd Spangler, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
That creates a different situation when a condition begins with something a resident or guest did rather than deterioration of the building or a maintenance issue.

— Emma Clapp, Miami Herald, 16 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

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
Allen is a solid downhill, change-of-pace runner who can be used in short-yardage situations.

— Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of downhill

Noun

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
Under the previous administration, Brazil’s audiovisual industry suffered from the closure of the Ministry of Culture, the suspension of the Audiovisual Sector Fund, the weakening of cultural institutions, and allegations of censorship.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of weakening

Noun

Nature Morte remained consistently successful, despite a dip in Europe’s economic fortune in the 2010s that saw Nagy turn to India, whose art scene was now burgeoning, for a large portion of sales.

— News Desk, Artforum, 14 Oct. 2026
In this case, for instance, Rabtsevich noticed the dips in TIC 4206066's light in 2018 tended to align with moments where TESS fired its thrusters, which may have skewed the results.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of dip

Noun

But the eleventh-hour blitz of No On 3 ads that Keep Florida Clean funded, warning of the greed of Big Weed, inflamed voters’ private worries of societal decay.

— Christopher Spata, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026
The commercial benchmark, by comparison, showed continuous performance decay during testing.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of decay

Noun

Since optical switches aren’t subject to the same amount of degradation as traditional mechanical switches, the representative argued, users won’t need to swap them over time.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026
There are also practical questions around battery degradation, consumer compensation, privacy, and who gets to control an asset in someone’s home.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of degradation

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déclassé

declension

declensions

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Style

“Declension.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/declension. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of declension

noun

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