Standard Lemma guide

declination

noun · 12 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˌdɛklɪˈneɪʃən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən

1

noun

Meaning 1

At a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: magnetic declination

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

At a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: δ

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A refusal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: nonassent, denial, rejection, abnegation, declination, turndown, disapproval, dissension, nonapproval, nonconsent, prohibition, refusal, renunciation, repudiation, unapproval, unconsent

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The gradual decline in the overall fundamental frequency or pitch of speech over the course of an utterance, independent of local variations such as tones and pitch accents.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, phonology, prosody, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Declension.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Qualifier: obsolete or non-native speakers' English

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

The act or state of bending downward; inclination.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable

Examples

  • declination of the head

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

The act or state of falling off or declining from excellence or perfection; deterioration; decay; decline.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

Deviation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable

Examples

  • November 2, 1690, Robert South, Sinners Inexcusable from Natural Religion Only every violation of and declination from the rules

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

a polite refusal of an invitation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: regrets

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: acknowledgment, acknowledgement, refusal

10

noun

Meaning 10

(astronomy) the angular distance of a celestial body north or to the south of the celestial equator; expressed in degrees; used with right ascension to specify positions on the celestial sphere

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: celestial latitude, dec

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: angular distance

11

noun

Meaning 11

a downward slope or bend

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: descent, declivity, fall, decline, declension, downslope

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: slope, incline, side

Narrower terms: downhill, steep

12

noun

Meaning 12

a condition inferior to an earlier condition; a gradual falling off from a better state

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: decline

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: condition, status

Narrower terms: neglect, disuse, twilight, wreck

History

Etymology

From Middle English declinacioun, borrowed from Middle French declination, from Latin declinatio. Doublet of declension.

Across languages

Translations

47 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: отклонение (otklonenie) — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Bulgarian: деклинация (deklinacija) — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Chinese Mandarin: 赤緯 /赤纬 (chìwěi) — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Czech: deklinace — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Finnish: eranto — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Finnish: deklinaatio — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • French: déclinaison — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • German: Deklination — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • German: Missweisung — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • German: Ortsmissweisung — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Greek: απόκλιση (apóklisi) — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Hindi: दिक्पात (dikpāt) — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Hungarian: elhajlás — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Hungarian: eltérés — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Italian: declinazione — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Japanese: 赤緯 (sekii) — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Korean: 적위 (jeogwi) — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Persian: میل (meyl) — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Polish: deklinacja — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Russian: склоне́ние (sklonénije) — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Serbo-Croatian: deklinacija — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Swedish: agnetisk deklination — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Swedish: missvisning — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Turkish: manyetik sapma — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Turkish: varyasyon — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Vietnamese: xích vĩ — at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north
  • Arabic: مِيل (mīl) — at a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane
  • Bulgarian: деклинация (deklinacija) — at a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane
  • Dutch: declinatie — at a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane
  • Finnish: deklinaatio — at a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane
  • French: déclinaison — at a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane
  • German: Deklination — at a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane
  • Greek: απόκλιση (apóklisi) — at a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane
  • Hungarian: elhajlás — at a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane
  • Hungarian: eltérés — at a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane
  • Italian: declinazione — at a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane
  • Middle English: declinacioun — at a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane
  • Polish: deklinacja — at a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane
  • Russian: склоне́ние (sklonénije) — at a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane
  • Swedish: deklination — at a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane
  • Turkish: deklinasyon — at a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane
  • Turkish: dik açıklık — at a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane
  • Bulgarian: отказ (otkaz) — refusal
  • Greek: άρνηση (árnisi) — refusal
  • Hungarian: elutasítás — refusal
  • Hungarian: visszautasítás — refusal
  • Polish: odmowa — refusal