DOWNTURN Synonyms: 85 Similar and Opposite Words

downturn

noun

Definition of downturn

as in slump

a situation in which something (such as business or economic activity) decreases or becomes worse

—usually singular an economic downturn There's been a downturn in the housing market.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of downturn The project arrives amid a sharp downturn in local production. — Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026 During a downturn, the objective is generally to preserve liquidity and maintain capabilities the organization will need when demand recovers. — Erik Clarke, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026 Wicked saw one of the biggest downturns, down more than $290,000 from the prior week, to $1 million, as attendance dropped to 86 percent from 99 percent. — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026 But the proposals in Proposition 2 could have major consequences for the state’s fiscal future, including how deep legislators will have to cut in a major downturn. — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 23 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for downturn

Recent Examples of Synonyms for downturn

Noun

Exports have been a bright spot for China’s economy, which is otherwise struggling with slumping consumption and a years-long property market slump.

— Angelica Ang, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
Hernández and Tucker both went through major slumps at the plate during the season.

— Beth Harris, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of slump

Noun

The Bank of Japan — or BOJ — started raising interest rates in 2024, a major change after decades of ultra-low rates aimed at combating deflation.

— John Towfighi, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026
Higher energy and food prices pushed inflation up, adding to cost worries in a country that until recently was threatened with deflation.

— Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of deflation

Noun

The decreases come as the CTA boosted law enforcement on the system at the federal government’s behest, a move that threatened to withhold funding from the transit agency after last year’s Blue Line attack.

— Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
If the amount of money provided by the state to school districts decreases because some children leave for private school, the legislature can adjust the Blueprint funding formula that ties funding to the number of students who attend a school.

— Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of decrease

Noun

About half of those seasons involved dramatic falloffs in production for those players the next year.

— Michael Beller, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
The network decided to run the miniseries, originally slated to run weekly, on consecutive nights, to avoid a falloff in viewership, but also to get it all in before the ratings period.

— Anne Haley, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of falloff

Noun

Goddard’s diminution is part of a broader pivot at NASA as the White House redirects the space agency to put American astronauts on the moon by 2028.

— Eric Niiler, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026
Around the halfway point of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, Petya Trofimov — eternal grad student, moral purist, and former tutor to the once wealthy family whose diminution sits at the heart of the play — makes a speech.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of diminution

Noun

Hinson said the bill’s reductions to Medicaid spending for Iowa will be offset by the Rural Health Transformation Program, which allots $50 billion divided among all 50 states over the next five years.

— Gabrielle M. Etzel, The Washington Examiner, 8 Oct. 2026
Higher borrowing costs will eventually force a reduction in credit and spending, weighing on economic activity and potentially spilling over into equity markets, Dalio said.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of reduction

Browse Nearby Words

downtrodden

downturn

downturns

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“Downturn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downturn. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of downturn

noun

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