declined
断った
解説 Definition
declined は decline（断る、辞退する）の過去形・過去分詞です。「申し出や招待などを丁寧に断った」という意味で使われ、単に嫌だと言うよりも少し改まった響きがあります。
The past tense and past participle of decline, meaning politely or formally refused an invitation, offer, request, or opportunity. It can also be followed by an infinitive, as in declined to answer.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
declined は decline「丁寧に断る」の過去形・過去分詞です。語末の黙字 e を落として -ed を付け、declined /dɪˈklaɪnd/ の -ed は /d/ と発音します。declined the invitation、declined his offer、declined to answer の三型を覚えると、改まった断り方として使えます。
Connect declined with the image behind decline: turning or bending something aside. An invitation or offer is politely set aside rather than bluntly rejected. For the inflected form, final silent e in decline is dropped before -ed is added, and the ending is pronounced /d/, giving /dɪˈklaɪnd/. Learn three common patterns: declined the invitation, declined an offer, and declined to answer. This use sounds more formal and courteous than simply saying no. Remember that declined can also mean “decreased,” but the examples here specifically concern refusal.
例文
She declined the invitation.
彼女はその招待を断りました。
I declined his offer politely.
私は彼の申し出を丁寧に断りました。
They declined to answer the question.
彼らはその質問に答えることを断りました。
declined の類義語・関連語
類義語
紛らわしい語
declined の語源・成り立ち Etymology
ラテン語 declinare（そらす・曲げる）から。de-（離れて）+ clinare（傾ける）の構成。本来「傾けて逸らす」意味で、申し出を「脇へ逸らす＝断る」や数値が「下へ傾く＝低下する」意味に発展。関連語：incline（傾く）、recline（もたれる）。
Declined is formed from decline by dropping final silent e and adding -ed. Decline entered English through Old French from Latin dēclīnāre, meaning to bend away, turn aside, or slope downward. The Latin form combines de-, conveying movement away or down, with clīnāre, “to lean or bend.” The refusal sense developed from the figurative idea of turning an offer aside. The same physical root appears in incline and recline.
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