NYT Dictionary

DECLINE

/dɪˈklaɪn/
NounVerbde-CLINEde-cline · 2 syllablesGrade 6

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2025, 2026

Meaning

Downward movement, fall.

Etymology

Origin: Old English

From Middle English declinen, and ultimately Latin declīnō (“to bend, turn aside, deflect, inflect, decline”, from dē- (“down”) + clīnō (“to bend, to incline”)), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱley- (English lean). The senses arrived from two separate pathways in Middle English: * The grammatical sense came from Old English declīnian, which was borrowed directly from the Latin etymon. * All senses except the grammatical sense were derived from those of Old French decliner. Old French itself borrowed the verb from Latin.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

descentdeclensediminutiondeclinationdecaydeclivityfalldeclensiondownslopeworsen

Antonyms

inclineimprovementascentbetteraccept

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 2 recorded puzzles:

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