Decline

How to spell decline

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce decline

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does decline mean?

1. verbTo politely refuse or turn down an offer, invitation, or request.
2. verbTo gradually become smaller, weaker, or fewer in amount or quality.
3. nounA gradual decrease or worsening in amount, strength, or quality.

Decline in a sentence

• verb

  She had to decline the job offer because the salary was too low.

• verb

  House prices began to decline after the interest rate rise.

• noun

  The report noted a steady decline in factory output.

• verb

  He chose to decline the invitation to the conference.

• verb

  His health continued to decline over the winter months.

• noun

  The town saw a sharp decline in tourism last year.

Where does decline come from?

Language of origin: Latin

Decline comes from the Latin declinare, which combined de- meaning 'down' or 'away' with clinare meaning 'to lean or bend'. The literal image was of something leaning aside or turning away, and in Roman use it could describe the sun sinking toward the horizon or an army veering off course. English took the word through Old French decliner during the 1300s, at first in the sense of bending or turning aside, and the modern meanings of politely turning down an offer and of gradually weakening both grew out of that idea of leaning away. The same clinare root survives in close relatives such as 'incline', 'recline', and the grammatical term 'declension', all of which share the notion of leaning. Because the silent feel of the second 'c' and the long 'i' spelled 'i' rather than 'y' can trip writers, remembering the 'cline' family helps fix the spelling.

How the word is built

• de- (down, away)
• cline (from Latin clinare: to lean or bend)