the angular distance, esp in degrees, of a star, planet, etc, from the celestial equator measured north (positive) or south (negative) along the great circle passing through the celestial poles and the body
Symbol: δ. Compare: right ascension
2. magnetic declination
3.
a refusal, esp a courteous or formal one
Derived forms
declinational (ˌdecliˈnational)
adjective
declination in American English
(ˌdɛkləˈneɪʃən)
noun
1.
a bending or sloping downward; deviation from the horizontal or vertical
2.
an oblique variation from some definite direction
3.
the angle formed by a magnetic needle with the line pointing to the geographical North Pole
4.
a polite declining or refusal
5. Archaic
decline; deterioration; decay
6. Astronomy
the angular distance of a celestial body north or south from the celestial equator:it is used with right ascension to find an exact position in the sky
abbrev. Dec, dec
Word origin
ME declinacioun < L declinatio: see declension
Examples of 'declination' in a sentence
declination
He was as baffled as I about the FBI's declination of the State Department's invitation to intervene in the case.
James Grippando A KING'S RANSOM (2001)
Synonyms of 'declination'
slope, decline, dip, descent
More Synonyms of declination
(noun)
Synonyms
slope
a mountain slope
decline
dip
the current dip in farm spending
descent
On the descents, cyclists freewheel past cars.
inclination
deviation
a clear example of deviation from the norm
divergence
There's substantial divergence of opinion in the party.