n.
Pronunciation: di- ' kl ī n, d ē -
Function: verb
Inflected Form: de · clined ; de · clin · ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French decliner, from Latin declinare to turn aside, inflect, from de- + clinare to incline ― more at LEAN
Date: 14th century
intransitive verb
1 archaic : to turn from a straight course : STRAY
2 a : to slope downward : DESCEND b : to bend down : DROOP c : to stoop to what is unworthy
3 a of a celestial body : to sink toward setting b : to draw toward a close : WANE <the day declined >
4 : to tend toward an inferior state or weaker condition <his health declined > <morale declined >
5 : to withhold consent
6 : to become less in amount <prices declined >
transitive verb
1 : to give in prescribed order the grammatical forms of (a noun, pronoun, or adjective)
2 obsolete a : AVERT b : AVOID
3 : to cause to bend or bow downward
4 a : to refuse to undertake, undergo, engage in, or comply with < decline battle> b : to refuse especially courteously < decline an invitation>
– de · clin · able \ - ' kl ī -n ə -b ə l \ adjective
– de · clin · er \ - ' kl ī -n ə r \ noun
synonyms DECLINE , REFUSE , REJECT , REPUDIATE , SPURN mean to turn away by not accepting, receiving, or considering. DECLINE often implies courteous refusal especially of offers or invitations < declined his party's nomination>. REFUSE suggests more positiveness or ungraciousness and often implies the denial of something asked for < refused to lend them the money>. REJECT implies a peremptory refusal by sending away or discarding < rejected the manuscript as unpublishable>. REPUDIATE implies a casting off or disowning as untrue, unauthorized, or unworthy of acceptance <teenagers who repudiate the values of their parents>. SPURN stresses contempt or disdain in rejection or repudiation < spurned his overtures of friendship>.