Noun

Singular decline

Plural declines

decline (plural declines)

1. Downward movement, fall.
2. A sloping downward, e.g. of a hill or road.
3. A weakening.
4. A reduction or diminution of activity.
   • 1992, Rudolf M. Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, page ix

     It is also pertinent to note that the current obvious decline in work on holarctic hepatics most surely reflects a current obsession with cataloging and with nomenclature of the organisms—as divorced from their study as living entities.

Antonyms

• incline

Decline is a change over time from previously efficient to inefficient organizational functioning, from previously rational to non-rational organizational and individual decision-making, from previously law-abiding to law violating organizational and individual behavior, from previously virtuous to iniquitous individual moral behavior. Note: The word decline should not be confused with the word obsolete. Decline refers to the degenerating of something whereas obsolete refers to the outdating of something or that it is no longer in use.Is the prosses of declining ,a gradual sinking and wasting away.

Social decline or moral decline is typically characterised as reduced adherence to cultural or social norms or values and widespread lapses in ethical behavior.

Entities and organizations may enter a state of decline if they fail to respond effectively to changes, because they :

• Don't know about it : inability to recognize change in the organizational environment
• Can't : insufficient resources to respond to change in the organizational environment
• Don't want to : refusal to respond to change in the organizational environment because organizational leaders benefit from organizational decline